THE WESTERN Bulldogs are sweating on the fitness of important defenders Zaine Cordy and Aaron Naughton for Saturday's clash with Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Cordy was forced from last weekend's loss to Collingwood at half-time after being diagnosed with delayed concussion, while Naughton has missed the past two matches with an ankle injury sustained in the round eight win over Brisbane.
COMEBACK PIES Full match coverage of Magpies v Bulldogs
While Naughton has been cleared to return to full training, Cordy will be monitored by medical staff throughout the week.
"When we took Zaine off the field and assessed him he did have signs of concussion so was removed from the game. We'll assess him this week and then make a decision on his availability later in the week," medical services manager Chris Bell told westernbulldogs.com.au on Monday.
"Aaron has made a really good recovery following his ankle injury. He ticked off a really good footy session over the weekend and he's in line to return full training this week. If he ticks the boxes as we expect he return to playing this weekend."
Veteran Dale Morris should also be available for senior selection after getting through his second straight state league match on the weekend after resuming from a partial ACL tear.
The 35-year-old wasn't risked against the Magpies after developing soreness in the medial ligament of the same knee in his comeback game the week before.
Third-year rookie Brad Lynch is expected to resume through the VFL after recovering from a serious hamstring injury.