Tim English is almost certain to miss a fourth consecutive game as his concussion symptoms linger.
The Western Bulldogs ruckman is still being troubled by the effects of an inadvertent, yet brutal hit to the head from teammate Aaron Naughton during the win over GWS in Round 6.
English has been able to train at the Whitten Oval, but the Dogs remain cautious given he is still experiencing low-level symptoms after the sessions.
While English is improving, it has been slow and it’s impossible for the club to put a timeline on his return to full health.
As a result, the influential big man is highly unlikely to feature against St Kilda on Saturday unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the coming days.
Asked yesterday about English’s availability against the Saints, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said the star ruck was a “wait and see”.
“You can never forecast how long they last,” Beveridge said.
“He (English) is definitely feeling better, but as I said last week the English at the start of the year was strong, coming off a good pre-season and ready to go, and then this (has) quite literally sat him on his bum.
“We want him to be feeling good within himself and come to us and say ‘yeah absolutely ready to go’. Hopefully, that’s Thursday and if it’s not we will keep him out until he is totally ready.”
With Stefan Martin sidelined with an Achilles problem, fourth-gamer Jordon Sweet will go head-to-head with Saints star Paddy Ryder.