DANIEL Rioli has tentatively pencilled in this Saturday's VFL clash with Sandringham for his first competitive hit-out since he broke his foot in last year's Grand Final.
The premiership Tiger will have to get through training this week before he gets the final sign off, but it is understood he is optimistic of lining up in the game at Holm Park Recreational Reserve in Beaconsfield.
The Tigers have been extremely cautious with the 21-year-old's rehabilitation and have been hesitant to choose a return date such was the nature of the tricky injury.
However, after two operations and a long spell in a moon boot, Rioli is poised to resume 262 days since his last official game.
Meanwhile, the Tigers believe Shaun Grigg will be available for Sunday's top of the table clash with West Coast at Optus Stadium after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury, but are expected to maintain a conservative approach with Dion Prestia, with the midfielder likely to miss a second week with a calf strain.
Scans have cleared Jason Castagna of serious knee damage after a knock during the Tigers' 10-point win over North Melbourne on Sunday.
However, his availability this week will hinge on how he trains and how the knee settles.
Defender Nathan Broad is also in some doubt after suffering a corked glute in the fourth quarter and will have to prove his fitness this week if he's to travel to Perth.
If Broad misses, it could open the door for fellow premiership backman and his housemate Brandon Ellis, who had 23 possessions in the VFL on Sunday.
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Ellis hasn't played senior football since round five, with Broad and the much-improved Jayden Short squeezing him out of the side.
Young defender Ryan Garthwaite should also be available despite stretching his shoulder in the VFL, after being named as an emergency for the clash with the Roos, and midfielder Anthony Miles was unconcerned after precautionary scans on Monday following his 41 VFL disposals.
The Tigers will travel to Perth on Saturday and are scheduled to train at Optus Stadium that afternoon, after a three-week ban on teams training at the new ground.
Stadium management said this week the reduced load on the surface had allowed it to improve after criticism of its hardness in the opening month of the season.
