BACK-UP Greater Western Sydney big man Dawson Simpson could be recalled to AFL ranks despite incumbent ruckman Rory Lobb appearing to avoid a serious knee injury on Saturday night.
Lobb, the Giants No.1 ruck, went down clutching his left knee in the second term of his side's 16.7 (103) to 12.15 (87) loss to Sydney.
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While many at the SCG initially feared the worst as he hobbled off the ground, Lobb returned to play up forward for the rest of the night on one leg.
In his absence, Jonathon Patton was swung into the ruck and found plenty of the footy, finishing the night with 19 touches – 14 of them contested – nine tackles and a goal.
WATCH: Knee injury leaves Lobb limping
GWS coach Leon Cameron said he would consider bringing Simpson into his squad for next Saturday's clash against Fremantle and its 211cm giant Aaron Sandilands in Canberra.
Simpson, 29, has played only two games for GWS since being given a free-agency lifeline ahead of the 2016 season after eight years on Geelong's list.
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"We'll wait to see what the wash-up is with Rory and where Jon is at as well," Cameron said.
"We've got a couple of guys who are competing for a spot and Dawson Simpson has had a good summer and he's eager to get in there.
"We'll assess that over the next two or three days. We come up against a fantastic ruckman in Sandilands for Freo next week down in Canberra.
"There will be a lot to consider – whether Rory has recovered or not, that will be the first thing. Secondly, who can compete against Sandilands, because we know what he can do when he gets first hands on the footy."
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Whether Sandilands even makes the trip east is another variable, after the veteran ruckman was reported for a high bump on Gold Coast's Jarryd Lyons earlier on Saturday.
"The ruck and key position are always going to be interesting in terms of your structure and you've got to be able to have the flexibility with some players to deal with that," Cameron said.
"We were mindful that Rory (Lobb) was only going around at about 80-odd per cent because of his knee and the doctors clearly though the was safe enough to play so we parked him at full-forward."
"We thought he competed really well."
Meanwhile, Cameron said ball-magnet Lachie Whitfield would learn plenty from the hard tag applied by Swan George Hewett.
After a white-hot start to 2018, Whitfield was blanketed against Sydney and had only three possessions to half-time, although he finished with 15.
"It's a learning point for him. He's going to be disappointed because his start to the season has been terrific," Cameron said.
"It's probably the second or third time that someone has come to him and Hewett did a good job.
"But you know Lachie is a proud man and I'm sure he will want to bounce back next week."
