Kyle Langford is in line to return on Saturday night. (Photo: AFL Photos)

Essendon’s midfield could be set for another boost with Kyle Langford set to make himself available for Saturday night’s clash with Sydney at the Gabba.

Langford has missed the Bombers’ last two games with a hamstring injury, with head of high performance Sean Murphy saying the 24-year-old would need to prove his fitness on the track this week.

“‘Langers’ is going well at the moment. He’s got a few things to tick off this week and he’s a test for this weekend,” Murphy told Dons Digital’s Liberty Financial Performance Update.

“He’ll roll through training early in the week and then main training, and if he comes out of that, he should be right for this weekend.”

02:18

The Bombers reported a clean bill of health from their VFL and AFL matches on Sunday, with Dylan Shiel emerging unscathed in his first game since round two.

Murphy said Shiel’s ability to slot straight back into the seniors after a lengthy layoff was a testament to the star midfielder’s hard work behind the scenes.

“‘Shiely’ had to tick off a few things during the week last week, which was really impressive after a long layoff,” he said.

“He slotted back in an and actually had some of his best metrics in terms of run and high intensity, which is a credit to him and the way he prepares himself. It was great for him to slot back in and he’ll build on that over the next couple of weeks.”

04:17

Essendon will spend its second week in Noosa ahead of its clash with the Swans, with quarantined players Andrew McGrath and Cian McBride set to rejoin their teammates on Wednesday.

Murphy said McGrath, who was on the comeback trail from a posterior cruciate ligament injury, had kept his recovery on track.

“It’s been a challenging environment – very different for them (McGrath and McBride),” he said.

“They’ve actually been able to get together and do that quarantine along with [assistant coach] Dan Jordan. ‘DJ’ loves to work hard on the bike and everything else, so they’ve actually been a really good group to have together. They’ve been motivating each other and they’ve certainly done a lot of cross-training as they haven’t been able to get out and have a run.

“Andy is in a good spot. He’s getting good strength into his legs and will hopefully be running by the back end of this week.”

ESSENDON'S ROUND 20 INJURY LIST

PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN
Kyle Langford Hamstring Test
Jye Caldwell Hamstring Short term
Andrew McGrath Knee Medium term
Kaine Baldwin Knee Medium term
Harrison Jones Foot TBC
Michael Hurley Illness Long term
Zach Reid Back Long term
Irving Mosquito Knee Long term
Updated Tuesday, July 27