Adam Cooney is determined to make a late-season return for the Western Bulldogs to prove to himself that he can manage his ongoing knee problem.

Dogs coach Brendan McCartney said last week that Cooney would possibly be ready for the clash with the Sydney Swans at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

It will be the Dogs' last home game of the season and an appearance by the Brownlow medallist would certainly inject more excitement into the occasion for Dogs fans, who have suffered through eight successive defeats by an average of 59 points.

Watch Assistant Coach Steven King discuss the likelihood of an Adam Cooney return this Sunday against Sydney.

Dogs assistant coach Steven King revealed that it had been the star himself who was pushing hardest for a return.

"I think Adam himself just wanted to get to the stage where he knew, going into next year, he's set himself up to even continue a solid leg-weight program and rehab program during the break," King said on Tuesday.

"I think it's just for his own peace of mind, just to get back to that level. Whether he plays or not, just to know, 'Yep, I'm back in full training, I'm ready to go, and this is where I've got to go to move forward'."

King was unsure if Cooney will play this week, but suggested he could come into calculations.

"I think he's going to train with us during the week - he did a little bit last week - and [we're] just going to see where he's at," he said. 

"It'd be great to have him out there [to] play a couple of games before the season ends. He's just been going about his rehab as normal. It'd certainly give the playing group a huge boost to have 'Coons' out there."

King said Cooney had been largely restricted to doing "a little bit of cross-training" and the challenge would be to get him match-ready.

"His knee's feeling better, it's just a matter of the soft-tissue stuff, and he's such an explosive athlete, to make sure we're not just throwing him out there and he's got enough [fitness] under his belt to get through a game of footy," he said.