Perryman on brink of return

IMPORTANT Giant Harry Perryman is poised to return for Friday night’s grudge match with the Western Bulldogs in Canberra, after recovering from glandular fever.

Perryman, who finished third in Greater Western Sydney’s best and fairest award last year, has skipped the past three matches after originally being out just with an illness.

The versatile 22-year-old looks the likely defensive replacement for Sam Reid, who suffered a low-grade hamstring injury in the third quarter of Saturday’s narrow win over the Swans.

Dual club champion and 2018 All-australian Lachie Whitfield (bruised liver), is likely to sit out another week.

Reid will miss at least the Bulldogs clash and possibly the Crows game the week after.

The Giants’ head of medical, Cullan Ball, said Perryman had made steady improvement and would need to train well ton Wednesday to play, but was expected to be available.

A decision is also set to be made on Wednesday on whether big-name recruit Jesse Hogan makes his club debut.

The talented forward, who previously played at Melbourne and Fremantle, kicked three goals in the VFL on Saturday to press his case after a pre-season quad setback.

Coach Leon Cameron is unlikely to pick four tall forwards, and Harry Himmelberg has established himself as the No. 1 man in attack, so Jeremy Finlayson and Jake Riccardi could be vulnerable.

But Cameron showed a willingness to experiment with bigger players on the wing, so that is another potential scenario, like what he did with Jeremy Cameron in 2020.

Draftee Cameron Fleeton (concussion) and defender Jake Stein (thumb) picked up injuries in the VFL, with the latter set to be sidelined for as many as eight weeks.