MELBOURNE will welcome back All Australian Michael Hibberd for Sunday's trip to Brisbane, and could regain fellow defender Jake Lever next week in a surprise boost.
Hibberd underwent surgery to fix a plate in his collarbone after the Demons' Queen's Birthday loss to Collingwood and sat out last week's 14-point victory over Fremantle.
FULL INJURY LIST Who's ruled out and who's a test?
Lever (bone bruising in his left knee) left the track early on Thursday, but coach Simon Goodwin said he had completed everything required of him as he pushes to return against Carlton.
The news about the two important backmen comes after club medical staff officially ruled the seasons of Joel Smith (groin) and Jeff Garlett (shoulder) to be over.
Initially it was feared he might miss three weeks, but we're really confident he's going to be back next week - Simon Goodwin on Jake Lever
"(Lever)'s improved significantly, so obviously he had the bone bruising last week and missed but he's back up and running," Goodwin told reporters.
"He's got a big 10 days (ahead). We think he'll be back next week. Initially it was feared he might miss three weeks, but we're really confident he's going to be back next week.
"(Hibberd) will play … he's actually done a lot of training in the last month that probably people haven't seen, so he'll be ready to play up in Brisbane."
Goodwin also allayed concerns about ex-Gold Coast recruit Kade Kolodjashnij's latest head knock, saying he would be unavailable this weekend but could be back by next week.
The third-year coach was hopeful Melbourne's injury hardship was on the improve after coming through unscathed against the Dockers.
"We get Michael Hibberd back this week, hopefully Jake Lever back next week, we've got Neville Jetta who's not far away, and Jake Melksham's probably four weeks away," he said.
"So we've still got some opportunities for guys to come back and get better and get some more experience back into our team."
The Demons are still sitting 16th with a 4-9 win-loss record, and Goodwin said his side's season was "on a knife's edge".
"There is always something to play for. As I say a lot, whether it's our staff or our players, there are opportunities and we want to build a winning culture," he said.
"That means you go into every game wanting to win and perform and play strongly.
"Whether finals are up for grabs, whether they're not; that's how we'll go about our footy and that's how we'll go about our weeks."
Goodwin said one silver lining amid Melbourne's injury hardship was him being able to offer increased opportunity to young players such as Harry Petty and Jay Lockhart.
Brisbane, particularly at the Gabba, presents a significant challenge to the Demons' hopes of keeping their season alive.
"The boys enjoy getting away together and this is another opportunity against a really strong footy club," he said.
"I think they're 5-1 up at the Gabba, so they're in some terrific form. I think we all saw their game last week against the Saints and how dynamic they can be, and especially that third quarter.
"They've really improved their contested ball – I like the way they go about their footy – and they're really well coached, so it's a huge challenge going away again on the road, but it's something we're looking forward to."
Versatile talls Sam Frost and Steven May, plus Hibberd, are among the possible options to man the Lions' in-form goalsneak Charlie Cameron.
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