Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge will give Marcus Bontempelli \u201cright up until the death\u201d to prove his fitness for the important clash with Sydney on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Positively, Sam Darcy is in good spirits after his season-ending ACL injury and Tom Liberatore has escaped further review after another concussion.<\/p>\n
But the Bulldogs are racing the clock to have their superstar captain and versatile big man Rory Lobb fit for the Swans.<\/p>\n
Bontempelli (knee) was moving better than Lobb (hamstring) during run-throughs on Tuesday morning, but the Doggies won\u2019t risk the star midfielder if he remains sore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll give him right up until the death, we\u2019ve had two six-day turnarounds,\u201d Beveridge said of Bontempelli.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a couple of boys who are sore and ultimately they\u2019ll play if there is no risk that they\u2019ll injure what they\u2019re sore with anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if there\u2019s any concern they\u2019ll be impeded or in discomfort that might turn into an injury, they won\u2019t play. We won\u2019t take any risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
The absence of Lobb would stretch the Bulldogs defence against the dynamic Swans forward line.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s one of those players I speak of that is a little bit sore, so we\u2019ll give him the time to see if he can come up,\u201d Beveridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got a knock but he looks like he\u2019s moving. There\u2019s a couple of days to go and we don\u2019t need to name a team until tomorrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll go to the line I think, and the good thing this week is that Footscray play on Friday, so we can take all three emergencies to the game on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t plan on having late changes, we never do that. But different times call for different approaches and this is one of those weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darcy, meanwhile, was at Whitten Oval on Tuesday after scans confirmed a ruptured ACL.<\/p>\n
Beveridge says the Darcy setback opens the door of opportunity for others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve delayed the surgery by a day or two just to let the swelling go down a bit, but he\u2019s in a good frame of mind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great character, as you know, so he\u2019ll come back and be a player that will continue to improve and grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to miss him for a little while, but we\u2019ve got to deal with that and others need to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liberatore is in concussion protocols after sustaining his fifth head knock in four seasons.<\/p>\n
The hard-nosed midfielder has pulled up well, but the Bulldogs are open to sidelining him longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s come out of the game pretty good, he\u2019s feeling well, he\u2019s sleeping and he hasn\u2019t got any headaches or anything like that, which is good signs,\u201d Beveridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hasn\u2019t been to a concussion panel \u2026 my understanding is he will go through the usual protocols and whether that means he\u2019s available for the Fremantle game or not I am not sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pretty conservative looking after our players who have had a head knock or two. Laitham Vandermeer came back and played against Geelong for Footscray.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we kept him out for a month to make sure he was OK, so if there\u2019s any sign that Tom needs a bit longer, I am sure our medical crew won\u2019t let him play.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe seems to be OK, but he hasn\u2019t been to any panel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs could have an important inclusion against the flow of concerns, with Adam Treloar poised to return to the senior side.<\/p>\n
Treloar collected 41 disposals in the VFL last week and just needs to navigate the final two training sessions to be selected.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam played really well; he\u2019s had a sputtering last couple of months, but he definitely played well,\u201d Beveridge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s OK, he\u2019ll play. If he gets through training he will play, but because of the recent preparation and how that\u2019s gone for him, I can\u2019t emphatically say he\u2019s going to be right at the end of this session.\u201d<\/p>\n