GREATER Western Sydney is likely to have important duo Lachie Whitfield and Shane Mumford available for Sunday's clash with Carlton.
Both players trained with the main group at Giants Stadium on Thursday and would be massive inclusions for a side looking to respond strongly to last week's disappointing performance in a loss to Hawthorn at the MCG.
Find AFL Exchange on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
Whitfield (hip/quad) has missed the past two matches, while Mumford (knee) failed to make to trip to Melbourne to face the Hawks last week.
If the pair pull up well from Thursday's session they'll be included to take on the Blues, with Whitfield's run and Mumford's physicality vital to the Giants.
MATCH PREVIEW Giants v Blues
The outlook isn't as positive for young forward Zac Langdon, who failed to train with the rest of his teammates before the session was closed to the media.
The 23-year-old played his first senior game of the year against Hawthorn after a pre-season foot injury and battled an ankle problem against the Hawks.
He was seen in conversation with GWS medical staff while the team warmed up before he walked off the track and looks unlikely to play against Carlton.
While Whitfield and Mumford should be back, GWS coach Leon Cameron didn't rule out making more unforced changes at selection, but denied he'd be making a statement after the Hawthorn defeat.
"There's no doubt there's a couple of players that are going to be under the pump, that’s normal for any team coming off a poor performance," Cameron said.
"But I'm not into making wholesale changes for the sake of it, we've got confidence that our players can respond from bad performances.
"I want to give those guys chances, but equally they've got to take them."
Cameron also has an intriguing decision to make on the experienced Brett Deledio this week, with the veteran ready to play after missing the past six games with a calf injury.
The dual All Australian representative is a lock in the Giants' best 22 when fully fit but putting him straight back in at senior level could be risky given his shocking run of lower leg issues over the past three seasons.
"We could have picked him last week, but we thought we'd give him another week," Cameron said.
"He's going to put up his hand and we're seriously considering playing him in the ones.
"He's in really good shape, and we understand the issues he's had with his calves, but he was playing really well (before he got injured)."
Mumford's knees and ankle will require him to be rested on more occasions throughout the season to have him primed for the finals, and the Giants would no doubt think about a similar approach with Deledio.
"You can only deal with what's in front of you, and if you can get through four or five games in a row, then you have the luxury to think about pulling him back for a week," Cameron said.
"We haven't had that luxury because of the setbacks he's had."
