MELBOURNE key forward Jesse Hogan failed to train on Wednesday morning due to illness, but the Demons are confident he will be fit and well enough to face Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.
Hogan came back into the Demons' side for last Saturday night's game against Port Adelaide, having missed the clash against Hawthorn the previous week with a bruised knee.
The star forward had some superficial bruising in his knee after he collided with the behind post in the round 19 game against Gold Coast.
Hogan had nine disposals and was goalless in a quiet outing by his standards against the Power.
Small forward Jeff Garlett was also absent for Wednesday's session at Gosch's Paddock as he battles a skin infection in his leg.
Garlett will need to train fully on Friday to prove his fitness for the game against the Blues after a cut on his leg became infected on the weekend.
"We'll pick him and we expect him to play, but we'll need to see him train on Friday to make sure he's OK," coach Paul Roos said.
Sam Weideman, who missed Saturday night's game against the Power with a corked quad, trained away from the main group and is no certainty to be available.
Roos said Weideman was still sore and would be managed carefully, although he moved quite well at training on Wednesday.
Weideman trained with the rehab group, which also consisted of Aaron vandenBerg and Dean Kent, who were on light duties, and worked closely with development and rehabilitation coach Daniel Cross.
The promising first-year forward honed his marking craft in the contest and on the lead before completing the required conditioning.
Defender Tom McDonald, who recently re-signed with the Demons until the end of 2018, received treatment on his left hamstring midway through the session but did not appear to be too restricted.
Tomas Bugg also had his left calf worked on, but he also finished the session without any bother.
Max Gawn's deft tap work in stoppage drills stood out during the hour and a half session, while Christian Salem trained strongly as he eyes a recall to the senior team.
Defensive coach Jade Rawlings set the tone of the session early, playing a vocal role as the players dropped down for a set of 20 pushups in the warm up.
The training session had a focus on skill work as well as ensuring they get the "outnumber" at the contest. The players worked the ball over a 50m radius by hand through congestion.
They then broke up into their respective lines, forwards, backs and midfielders, and worked on their different crafts – high marking, clearance work and spoiling.
The Demons finished the session with goal kicking from different points inside forward 50, with the players rotating from spot to spot to kick from different angles.
The energy of the players has certainly lifted as Melbourne's finals hopes stay alive with two rounds remaining.
