Hardman Campbell Brown’s ability to match AFL intensity is his big ticket for a shot at a return to senior football against Melbourne this Sunday, according to senior coach Guy McKenna.

The 192-game veteran is available for senior selection for the first time this season after missing the opening premiership rounds following a six-game suspension for rough conduct that was handed down to the defender-turned-forward after the side’s  Round 23 clash against Adelaide last year.

And while the hard-hitting veteran is at long odds to mark a return against the Demons at the MCG this weekend, McKenna confirmed Brown’s possible return would be spoken about in this week’s match committee.

“We’ll have match committee today and tomorrow ... but certainly like all players he’ll be spoken about,” said McKenna.

The premiership-backman has been working tirelessly on the training track with Head Fitness Coach Paul Haines since Round 1, and believes his conditioning has reaped the rewards of his hard work.

“He’s said he’s probably in the best physical shape of his life right now, and while he’s probably only telling me that because he’d like to play this week, he does look good,” McKenna said.

But McKenna concedes injecting Brown mid-way through the premiership season without adequate match fitness may prove too risky.  

“It’s tough – we’ve got some boys that have just come back into the AFL system like McKenzie, Lynch and Stanley, so if we push Browny too far into the side we might expose our run and our ability to compete for four quarters,” McKenna.

“We know he can compete there’s no issue about that, but can he sustained that for four quarters? – that’s the big coaching dilemma we have this week.”