WESTERN Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney remains confident his skipper Ryan Griffen will be available for round one despite the fact he is yet to play this pre-season.
Griffen has been held back since experiencing back soreness a fortnight ago.
The Dogs are also hopeful Robert Murphy will have recovered from his elbow injury in time for their season-opener against West Coast on March 23.
"We're confident they will both be right when it starts, the key thing is to get enough good hard running into them," McCartney said after Wednesday night's 28-point NAB Challenge loss to Fremantle.
However, McCartney said he would not be pinning his hopes on individuals being available and said he would be comfortable taking an inexperienced team into round one.
"To be honest, I'm not going to focus too much on one or two players, the ones that are out there in round one will be fit and they will be ready to go - if it is a young team it's a young team, if it is a combination it will be a combination," McCartney said.
He said Griffen was more likely to play in the intra-club than the final practice match against Carlton but no risks would be taken.
"Once the tightness goes, he will be right to go but he is valuable cargo and we are going to manage him well," McCartney said.
The club was also pleased that Shaun Higgins and Tom Williams got through the game against Freo unscathed. Both started as substitutes but showed promise. Higgins has class and Williams versatility.
McCartney was relatively pleased with recruit Stewart Crameri's efforts, admitting he had been up and down during the game.
But McCartney said the Dogs knew Crameri had some work to do when they brought him to the club but he was confident he would make the forward line function better.
Despite a strong effort in all areas of the ground, McCartney said the team let its opposition score too easily at times.
"They (Fremantle) are a hardened strong team and we have a way to go," McCartney.
"There was a lot to like but we would have liked to finish closer or in front. The effort was really good. The intent was really good."
