Chadwick From: Herald Sun June 19, 2010 12:34AM, Source: Herald Sun
Western Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson is ready to make a return from an achilles injury.
WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade hopes the presence of a "rusty" Brad Johnson will give his side the inspiration needed to topple struggling West Coast at Subiaco Oval.
Johnson, a veteran of 352 games, has not featured for the Dogs since injuring his achilles tendon in their Round 6 loss to St Kilda.
But the 33-year-old moved freely at a light training run on Friday and Eade expects the inspirational skipper to play around 70-80 minutes against the Eagles.
"His leadership's fantastic and his energy and the way he goes about things certainly does stir the players up," Eade said in Perth.
"We are not expecting a lot from him output-wise in terms of playing because he's missed a bit and we think he'll be a bit rusty at times as well, but there's no doubt his leadership will help the team.
"He felt he was right to go because he'd been training for about four weeks and he played last week at Williamstown.
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"It was always a balancing act - a chance to play this week and then with the week off it gives him the chance to recover from it versus (the risk of) playing on such a big ground with the condition of his body.
"But we are certainly pleased with his condition at the moment, we think he'll get through OK."
Johnson's inclusion is a massive boost for the Bulldogs, who are just one win adrift of the fourth-placed Dockers after last week's impressive 65-point win against the Brisbane Lions.
The Dogs also regained defender Ryan Hargrave from an ankle injury, but Tom Williams will miss with a hamstring complaint and Brodie Moles was dropped.
West Coast's baby-faced squad received an extra dose of youth after Koby Stevens and rookie Andrew Strijk were named for their debuts, while Adam Selwood returns to bolster the midfield.
Brett Jones and Lewis Stevenson were dropped and Mark Nicoski won't feature again this season after re-injuring his shoulder.
West Coast, with just three wins from 12 rounds, is desperate for victory following a week of intense speculation surrounding the future of coach John Worsfold and the club's board
Western Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson is ready to make a return from an achilles injury.
WESTERN Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade hopes the presence of a "rusty" Brad Johnson will give his side the inspiration needed to topple struggling West Coast at Subiaco Oval.
Johnson, a veteran of 352 games, has not featured for the Dogs since injuring his achilles tendon in their Round 6 loss to St Kilda.
But the 33-year-old moved freely at a light training run on Friday and Eade expects the inspirational skipper to play around 70-80 minutes against the Eagles.
"His leadership's fantastic and his energy and the way he goes about things certainly does stir the players up," Eade said in Perth.
"We are not expecting a lot from him output-wise in terms of playing because he's missed a bit and we think he'll be a bit rusty at times as well, but there's no doubt his leadership will help the team.
"He felt he was right to go because he'd been training for about four weeks and he played last week at Williamstown.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related CoverageTop Dog throws weight behind Woosha
Perth Now, 1 hour ago
Players aren't Mother Teresa: Eade
Herald Sun, 18 May 2010
Jittery, fumbling and sick as Dogs
Adelaide Now, 28 Mar 2010
Eade keeps poker face
Herald Sun, 10 Mar 2010
Johnson to miss Round 1
Herald Sun, 9 Mar 2010.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
"It was always a balancing act - a chance to play this week and then with the week off it gives him the chance to recover from it versus (the risk of) playing on such a big ground with the condition of his body.
"But we are certainly pleased with his condition at the moment, we think he'll get through OK."
Johnson's inclusion is a massive boost for the Bulldogs, who are just one win adrift of the fourth-placed Dockers after last week's impressive 65-point win against the Brisbane Lions.
The Dogs also regained defender Ryan Hargrave from an ankle injury, but Tom Williams will miss with a hamstring complaint and Brodie Moles was dropped.
West Coast's baby-faced squad received an extra dose of youth after Koby Stevens and rookie Andrew Strijk were named for their debuts, while Adam Selwood returns to bolster the midfield.
Brett Jones and Lewis Stevenson were dropped and Mark Nicoski won't feature again this season after re-injuring his shoulder.
West Coast, with just three wins from 12 rounds, is desperate for victory following a week of intense speculation surrounding the future of coach John Worsfold and the club's board
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