GIANTS star Tom Scully is no guarantee to return for Saturday's clash with Collingwood at the MCG, despite recovering from a pre-season knee problem.
Scully was a late withdrawal from the AFLX Tournament and didn't play in either of the GIANTS' JLT Community Series matches but has trained strongly over the past fortnight, and was close to playing against the Western Bulldogs last week.
One of the competition's best athletes and known for his outstanding running ability, a fit Scully would normally walk back into the GIANTS' 22, but coach Leon Cameron hinted on Wednesday that the 26-year-old might need a run in the NEAFL before he's picked in the senior side.
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"It will be hard to break the 22 that performed on the weekend because of the effort and energy they provided in the first game," Cameron said.
"But equally, Tom Scully is the ultimate role player for your footy club.
"His two-way running is probably the best in the competition and there's no doubt he will add value to our footy team.
"It's just whether we think he's ready for an AFL game.
"He just fell short last week but if he doesn't play in the AFL this week he'll definitely play in the NEAFL.
"We're really happy with where he's at and he'll be heavily considered for this weekend's game, but it's going to be tough to make changes."
Veteran Ryan Griffen is also nearing a return to the field after battling a frustrating ankle issue over the past month.
The 31-year-old played just three games last season because of two separate syndesmosis injuries on the same left ankle but looked set to start the 2018 season in form until he had a setback on the eve of the JLT Community Series.
Griffen should be cleared to rejoin the main group this week after completing his rehab running, so could play in the NEAFL in the next two to three weeks.
"Where that leads to is the unknown and that's the hard bit because right now you see him running around and you'd think he's playing this weekend at the MCG," Cameron said.
"We're confident we can get some good footy out of him, but when that it is, is always the great challenge, because we nearly had him right and he had a little setback.
"It’s going to be a week-to-week thing."
In further good news for the GIANTS, young midfielder Jacob Hopper (groin) got through a reserves scratch match last Saturday and starred on limited game time, so he's another player sure to push his case for senior selection over the next month.
Defenders Adam Kennedy and Matt Buntine are making good progress after having knee reconstructions last year, while draftee Brent Daniels is running well after suffering his own knee issue prior to Christmas, leaving Zac Williams (Achilles) and Will Setterfield (knee) as the GIANTS' only long-term outs.
