Essendon could be boosted by the remarkable return of skipper Dyson Heppell for Tuesday night’s clash with West Coast at the Gabba.

Head of medical services David Rundle said the dedicated midfielder had “done a mountain of work” to get back to this point after fracturing his ankle in late June. 

“Dyson has made excellent progress. He is training fully with the main group. He is very fit. His running volumes and intensity have been very good. He moved well in training today, and as a result is available to play this week,” Rundle said. 

The Bombers recorded a clean bill of health following their impressive come-from-behind 16-point victory over the Hawks on Thursday night. 

“Fortunately, there were no significant injuries from the game against Hawthorn. The players are in good spirits and have pulled up well from the game despite the travel," Rundle said.

As well as Heppell, the Bombers will likely welcome back veteran defender Michael Hurley after he was a late withdrawal from the Round 14 clash with an ankle injury. 

“Michael sprained his ankle early in the game against Richmond. He managed to run out the game but pulled up quite sore,” Rundle said.

“He participated in a fitness test the day before the Hawthorn game and was very close to passing, but given the short turnaround and the fact we were to play West Coast on Tuesday, we took the conservative approach with him to give his ankle the best chance to settle down. He trained well today and is available for Tuesday’s game.”

In further good news, Jayden Laverde continues to make “rapid” progress following his ankle syndesmosis stabilisation surgery.

“Jayden had surgery five weeks ago and is now integrating in with the main group for training. He is likely to be available within the next week or so. We will assess how well he is moving before making decisions on his return to play.” 

Meanwhile, fellow defender Aaron Francis will be given another week to prove his fitness following a hamstring tendonitis injury. 

“Aaron is making good progress following his flare up of hamstring tendonitis. He is back running again now and feeling much better.  He will miss against West Coast, but we expect him to integrate back into training with the group later in the week,” Rundle said. 

Exciting youngster Ned Cahill continues in his rehabilitation from a recent quad strain in a bid to return to the senior side before the conclusion of the home and away season. 

“Ned is tracking well following his quadriceps strain. He is building his running volumes in rehab and is moving well. He is also working on his quad strengthening and given he is a young player we are taking the opportunity to do extra core strengthening specifically targeting the hip and pelvis region,” Rundle said. 

“We expect he will integrate back into full training the week following the Geelong game.”

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