ALL EYES this week will be on Geelong skipper Joel Selwood and Adelaide vice-captain Rory Sloane, as they continue their recovery ahead of the highly anticipated finals series.

Selwood, who had surgery on his left ankle on August 7 to repair a syndesmosis injury he suffered against Sydney in round 20, took a giant step forward on Saturday by taking part in various drills during the Cats' training session.

He began with running drills away from the main playing group, he moved onto stoppage work, he played about 15 minutes of game simulation with the full squad and finished with run-throughs across the length of the ground. 

How Selwood recovers from the weekend's hit-out followed by the Cats' main training session will determine his availability for Friday night's blockbuster qualifying final against Richmond. 

"I'm going well, that's all I can really say. I'll let it continue to go this way and I'm more likely than unlikely," Selwood said on Saturday.

"We'll wait right up to the moment and we'll see how I'm feeling.

"As I said, I expect to be named and we'll go from there."

Should Selwood take the field against the Tigers, just 35 days would have passed since he suffered the injury in a Lance Franklin tackle (or 32 days after surgery).

The Cats turned to Dr David Young to save Selwood's season – the same surgeon who performed Western Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore's ankle operation.

Liberatore injured his ankle in round 19 last season before returning 41 days later for the elimination final against West Coast and the Dogs' premiership run.

Like Liberatore, Selwood had surgical string inserted into his ankle to hold the tibia and fibula bones together in a bid to fast-track his recovery period. 

Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield spent extended time off the ground during Saturday's training session to receive treatment for a right hip complaint.

Adelaide midfielder Sloane, meanwhile, had his appendix removed last Tuesday and was discharged from hospital the next day. 

Sloane was the second Crow to undergo the procedure after small forward Eddie Betts in July.

Betts returned 14 days after his operation, while Sloane has eight days to recover if he is to take the field in Thursday night's home qualifying final against Greater Western Sydney. 

Crows defender Daniel Talia (ankle) and captain Taylor Walker (toe) were rested for the round 23 loss to West Coast, but will be ready to face the Giants.

Talia tweaked his right ankle against Sydney in round 22, while Walker picked up the foot complaint a week prior after it got caught under Essendon defender Patrick Ambrose in a marking contest.

Backman Alex Keath suffered concussion against the Eagles and jogged laps with Walker at the club's open training session last Wednesday.

Richmond midfielder Josh Caddy is racing the clock to prove his fitness for the sell-out clash with Geelong at the MCG.

The 24-year-old has not played since injuring his left hamstring late in the first term against the Cats in round 21. 

Caddy was not named in the VFL Tigers' elimination final win over Collingwood on Saturday. 

Onballer Dion Prestia suffered an ankle injury scare at training last Thursday, but has since declared himself a certain starter against Geelong.

"I've had a bit of an ankle thing going on all year so I’ve dealt with it for a long time, so no worries at all," Prestia told Fox Footy.

"I think it's just something we'll have to deal with at the end of the year but it's not affecting my performance. Once we're out and going, it's fine."

Essendon trio Michael Hurley, Cale Hooker and Orazio Fantasia face midweek fitness tests to determine their availability for Saturday's elimination final against Sydney at the SCG. 

Hurley has not played since round 21 due to a left calf strain, Hooker was a late out in round 23 with bone bruising in his leg and Fantasia hurt his right hamstring in round 20. 

Hurley completed a running session at the club's Tullamarine headquarters on Saturday. 

Bombers football boss Rob Kerr was confident the trio would be fit to take on the Swans.

"We remain hopeful that all three will be right to go," Kerr said on Friday.

"Wednesday will be the day where they'll be assessed but we're pretty optimistic."

Sydney expects quartet Dan Hannebery, Tom Papley, Kurt Tippett and Callum Sinclair to be available for the clash with the Bombers.

Hannebery (hip) and Papley (knee) were rested for the round 23 match against Carlton.

Tippett and Sinclair rolled their left ankles in separate incidents against the Blues, with the former sitting out the entire final quarter with his foot placed in ice.

Last Thursday, Tippett said his ankle was "recovering well".

"It was a bit of a shock at the time, but I'm pretty confident in the fact that my ankle will be good enough to play," he said.

Ruckman Sam Naismith, who missed the past four games with a hip problem, returned in the Swans' NEAFL semi-final win on Saturday, collecting 16 disposals and four marks. 

Naismith is waiting in the wings should Tippett or Sinclair fail to recover in time. 

West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern spent the week on light training duties after hurting his shoulder against Adelaide in round 23, but will be fine for Saturday night's elimination final against Port Adelaide.