GREATER Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron could head to the selection table with an extraordinary 41 players to choose from for Saturday's clash with Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.
The Giants haven't had a great run with injuries this year. Key defenders Caleb Marchbank (ankle/shoulder) and Aidan Corr (ankle) have been absent for most of the season, while Ryan Griffen (back/hamstring), Phil Davis (hamstring), Devon Smith (knee) and Jacob Hopper (back) have all missed multiple games. But the Giants' rehab rooms seem to be clearing out.
Rory Lobb (knee), Nick Haynes (illness), Jack Steele (hand), Corr and Hopper all look set to take the field at some level this weekend, leaving youngsters Marchbank, Paul Ahern (knee) and Jarrod Pickett (foot) – all ruled out for the rest of the year – as the only players on the club's injury list.
Cameron said picking his best 22 for the rest of the year will be difficult, but he'll have no trouble being ruthless when selecting the team for this week's game against the Suns, and beyond.
"There'll be some tough decisions, but we're really honest with our players about where they sit, so that's never an issue for myself or the match committee," he said.
"There's no doubt having a full book of players is a good headache to have because it puts pressure on everyone, but the appetite has to be there or you're not going to get the job done.
"With that comes responsibility on the guys in the AFL to play their role and play some good footy.
"There's guys there that are knocking the door down and they want to get into the team, so hopefully that makes for a competitive squad in the back end of the season."
Star midfielder Dylan Shiel trained away from the main group on Wednesday and completed some running exercises after pulling up sore from last week's game, but Cameron expected him to train on Friday and prove his fitness.
Lobb landed awkwardly and missed part of last week's 88-point win over Richmond, but trained strongly with his left knee strapped on Wednesday and looks likely to head north, while Haynes, who was a late withdrawal in Canberra with gastro, also moved well and will return to strengthen the Giants' back half.
Steele trained with a glove on his left hand and will push for a senior recall after missing the Tigers' game, but is more likely to play in the NEAFL alongside Hopper and Corr.
Hopper has missed five games, while Corr – an important member of the GWS defence – hasn't played since round three after suffering a syndesmosis injury to his ankle in round three.
Gun young midfielder Josh Kelly said the playing and coaching group spoke about the amount of options available to Cameron on Wednesday before training, and the importance of maintaining their intensity in all facets of the game.
"Spots are hard (to come by) at the moment, but that's what it takes to be a good team," he said.
"We've got to have people who can come in and fill positions straight away, and we feel like our NEAFL guys and the guys coming back from injuries can absolutely do that.
"We're in a really exciting position after notching up 13 wins, but we feel we've got a lot of areas we need to keep improving.
"We're really proud of what we've done, but nothing changes. We've got to focus on Gold Coast this week and finish off the season really well."
