GIANTS star Toby Greene is yet to resume full training but the club insists the forward is on track to take part in the JLT Community Series in March.
Greene broke a toe while holidaying in New York in the off-season, which ruled him out of the International Rules Series and left him in a moon boot until mid-December.
After winning the best and fairest and All Australian selection in a breakout 2016 season, the 24-year-old backed up with a career-high 45 goals last year despite missing six games due to suspensions and injury.
The GIANTS had expected Greene to be back training with the main group after the Christmas break but his rehabilitation hasn't progressed as fast as expected.
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GIANTS coach Leon Cameron told AFL.com.au he was disappointed his star goalkicker was yet to return but he was not worried about his early-season prospects.
"There's no doubt it's progressing, but if I had to be totally honest, it's a little bit slower than we'd like," he said.
"He's running, but its only once or twice a week.
"It's not going to hinder his start to the season, but you want to get as much pre-season training into the guys so they can set themselves up for that next six months of footy.
"There's no way we're going to rush him back – we know the importance of Toby to our team.
"He'll probably hit the track later on in January in terms of full-on footy and hopefully we don't have any setbacks with that."
Ruckman Rory Lobb is also being monitored closely and is yet to join the main group due to a groin problem.
The West Australian missed four games during the middle of last season with the same injury, and with the 24-year-old expected to take over from the retired Shane Mumford as the GIANTS' first choice ruckman this year, the club is taking no chances with the athletic big man.
The news is better for midfield gun Dylan Shiel, who had corrective shoulder surgery in the off-season.
Shield injured his right shoulder early last year and was forced to carry the problem throughout the season, but is in fantastic shape after doing a power of work in the past two months.
"The advantage Dylan has is that he can get out and run every day, so he's got an enormous amount of miles in his legs," he said.
"His preparation in terms of his recovery has been exceptional, and he's basically in full training apart from the contact.
"He'll build that up in the coming weeks and probably get ticked off in early February to go flat out with his tackling."
Veterans Brett Deledio (calf/Achilles) and Ryan Griffen (ankle) remain on modified programs after struggling through last season, but Cameron said they were both on track to resume full training in the next month.
Deledio, who managed just seven games in his debut season with the GIANTS thanks to multiple calf injuries, will train once a week until the end of January to make sure he's fully recovered from the Achilles issue that hampered him during the finals.
Griffen, who didn't play after round three due to two separate ankle syndesmosis injuries, is training twice a week and is moving well on the track, especially during competitive ball work.
"The 14 years of footy no doubt takes its toll, so we're mindful of their age and the amount of time they've spent on their legs," Cameron said.
"We're really confident that the programs we've set will give them the best chance to hit the ground running come the start of the season."
