AFTER spoiling Chris Dawes debut with the Demons in Round 7 earlier this year, Rory Thompson will be chasing more of the same when the pairs match-up again this Saturday, with the premiership forward a chance to return from calf injury against the Gold Coast SUNS at Metricon Stadium.

The former Magpie failed to have an impact against the Gold Coast in his first AFL appearance with his new team, Thompson keeping Dawes scoreless as the SUNS went on to record their biggest winning margin since entering the competition with the 60-point victory at the MCG. 

Demon’s General Manager of Football Operations Josh Mahoney said the club would be taking a cautious approach with their experienced key forward.

“We’re taking a conservative approach with Chris, but we’ll see how he progresses throughout the week,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

All-Australian defender James Frawley and midfielder Michael Evans are still three weeks away, while Gold Coast’s Charlie Dixon will be hard to contain with the Dee’s Mark Jamar still two weeks away from a foot injury.

Meanwhile, Tom Gillies (calf), James Sellar (hamstring) and rookie-listed player Nathan Stark (ankle) will all face fitness tests later this week.