ROBERT Murphy makes a welcome return to the Bulldogs' side for the prime-time Friday night clash against Richmond after two weeks out with a hamstring strain.
The important forward comes in for the suspended Scott Welsh with his form on the training track the deciding factor in his recall.
General manager of football James Fantasia said the club had considered holding Murphy over for another week as precaution.
"He (Murphy) had a fair bit to say as well, but the fact that he's been able to get up to top pace has been the thing that's convinced us he's right to go," Fantasia said.
"He was able to recognise what it was as soon as he did it [against Melbourne], so he pulled up right away and didn't really tear it.
"He's been very diligent, as you'd expect, with his rehab and he's trained well which has given him and the training staff the confidence that he's ready to go.
"We lose Welshy so him (Murphy) coming into our side is critical. He (Welsh) has been in good form so we're going to miss him, but Murphy obviously brings a lot of quality to the table."
Tom Williams' torn plantar fascia forced him out of the side that defeated the Sydney Swans in Canberra and he did not come up this week.
He eventually snapped the tendon, which is actually the preferred method of recovery.
"We had hoped he'd be back this week which is a bit disappointing for him," Fantasia said.
"He's finished with the plantar fascia problem, but what it's done is leave some bruising on the ball of his foot which is why he's out for the extra week.
"Had it been a Saturday or Sunday game there's a fair chance he would have been up for selection, but we just preferred to not take the risk.
"I can assure the supporters that he'll be ready to go next week. We're erring on the side of caution because he hasn't had a great run with his feet over the journey. It's no use rushing him back and risking a longer period on the sidelines."
The state of affairs at Punt Road has been a huge talking point outside the club, but Fantasia maintained former Dogs coach Terry Wallace's last game in charge of the Tigers had not been part of their preparation.
"It hasn't been mentioned amongst the ranks. It's been business as usual," he said.
"The nature of this caper is that the four points are so vital and we're trying to capitalise on some good form, so we're going to go into that game with that in mind rather than focus on any individuals on the other side.
"In saying that I think we've acknowledged that Terry has been a great contributor to the game, so I don't think there's any grudges or ill-feeling there. Our boys will go out and take them on as they would any other week."
Andrejs Everitt, Tim Callan and Brennan Stack are the emergencies.
