Rory Thompson will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of Sunday’s clash against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
The centre half back was a late withdrawal from last weekend’s win over the Western Bulldogs after failing to overcome a niggling wrist injury.
He will need to be passed fit by the club’s medical staff, but high performance manager Stephen Schwerdt said Thompson was a chance to make his comeback against the Crows.
“It was disappointing for Rory; he hurt his wrist the week before and we gave him until the last minute to get up but it was probably too big a risk to play him, as he could have done some real damage,” Schwerdt told SUNS TV.
“So we’ll reassess him later in the week and then make a call if he is available or not.”
Pleasingly though, Andrew Boston will take a significant step in his rehabilitation program this week, with the rookie forward scheduled to start running for the first time since undergoing surgery on a serious ankle injury.
The Gold Coast product has completed strength work, high-intensity boxing and pool recovery session in recent weeks, in a bid to increase his training load.
“It’s great for Bozzo. He has done a power of work in rehab and has left no stone unturned to get himself back in shape,” Schwerdt said.
“He got some good news from the specialists that he can start running this week so it’s a little bit of a milestone for his return.”
And Jesse Lonergan’s return to competitive footy appears imminent, with the bulky midfielder to train alongside the primary list this week.
“We thought Jesse was close to playing last week but given his history of hamstrings we erred on the side of being conservative.
“So he’ll do a full week with the main squad and we expect him to make a return.”
