WESTERN Bulldogs forward Shaun Higgins is no guarantee to play again this year as he struggles to regain fitness following a problem with his thyroid gland.

The 22-year-old, who also hurt his calf on Saturday night against Geelong, has been diagnosed with an over-active thyroid that is producing hormones at more than three times what is considered normal.

Coach Rodney Eade said while Higgins’ long-term health wasn’t in jeopardy, he faced an uphill battle to regain fitness in time for September.

“Seeing as it’s so close to finals football, it’s going to be on a knife’s edge whether he’s going to be able to get enough fitness for finals football,” he said on SEN on Thursday morning.

“Only time will tell. It’s going to be limited with what we can do over the next week or so to keep some fitness levels up.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Eade said the club’s doctors were unable to ascertain just when the 68-game player developed the condition that was reported to have sapped him of energy, prompted weight loss and caused a racing heart rate.

“He’s probably had it for a few weeks but how long they don’t know,” he said.

“Your levels are supposed to be at five or six and his are at 18 or 19, so it’s not massive and they believe it will work itself out in a short period of time, maybe two or three weeks."

Meanwhile, Eade says he has spoken with Gold Coast Suns target Jarrod Harbrow, who is yet to make a decision on whether he will remain at Whitten Oval next year. 

Harbrow, who hails from Cairns but has his family and girlfriend based in Brisbane, is weighing up whether to pursue a career at the new franchise from 2011.

Eade said he gave Harbrow “a reasonable sales pitch” on why he should remain a Bulldog but told him he would understand if he chose to leave.

“I get along really well with Jarrod. He’s a good young lad, a quality young lad and I spoke to him six to eight weeks ago,” Eade said.

“He explained he hadn’t made his mind up and why there were some issues about if he did go, [and] why he thought he might want to go.

“He said he hasn’t made his mind up and I said, ‘If you do make your mind up please let me know and we won’t hold it against you’.”

Earlier this month, Eade told afl.com.au he considered Harbrow to be a “50-50” chance to remain a Bulldog.

“We’re just talking to his management group at the moment. We’ve told him how vital he is to our future success so we’ll just leave that and see what happens,” he said at the time.

Eade has also previously stated the Bulldogs would not force a player out of the club prematurely if he told them he was leaving for the new franchise at the end of the season.