GEELONG defender Lachie Henderson is "champing at the bit" for his expected return against Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.

With five VFL games under his belt, the former Blue is set to play his first match of the season after three knee surgeries dating back to October last year.

Forced to train away from the main group for the first half of the season, Henderson has turned heads at training weeks in recent weeks, ramping up his conditioning program.

The 28-year-old answered Chris Scott's call to tick off a "comprehensive" build-up with 10 marks and 20 disposals against Sandringham on Sunday.  

"There's no doubt in my mind, Hendo's in our best team, so we're making room for him," teammate Zach Tuohy told the To the Final Bell podcast.

"Physically he's good to go, fitness-wise there's no worries."

"I've never seen anyone smash themselves the way he has in his recovery. He's champing at the bit. It was a slow build in the VFL, he didn't rush it and did all the right things."

Following his first round of post-season surgery, Henderson underwent a clean out in December and again in April as pain worsened.

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Put through a rigorous training block, he returned to VFL action in June on restricted minutes before building up to full game time.

While Scott said last week Henderson could have been rushed in earlier, a return against the Demons is set to cause a headache at the selection table with team balance.

Midfielder-turned-defender Mark Blicavs has made the No.1 key defensive post his own, while youngster Jack Henry has slotted in alongside him seamlessly in his debut season.

With Harry Taylor still needing to pass a fitness test after missing last week due to foot soreness following two matches in attack, Tuohy believes there's a number of ways to fit Henderson in.

"I'd like him down back, he's an amazing organiser of the defence," Tuohy said.

"We do have a little bit of flexibility down back with guys who can play in different positions.

"Cam Guthrie's spent time there (in defence), he can play midfield, Jack Henry can play forward, (Jake) Kolodjashnij's played on the wing last year.

"Even Hendo can come in and play forward straight away."

Henderson has been predominantly used as a defender since his arrival at Geelong for the 2016 season, often thrown forward during matches.