WESTERN Bulldogs Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney won't face Essendon in Saturday night's big clash at Etihad Stadium but that doesn't mean his season is over.

The 25-year-old hasn't played since round 18 against the Sydney Swans as he continues to battle soreness in his troublesome knee.

However, the Dogs are yet to bring the curtain down on his season as they've done with backmen Brian Lake and Tom Williams, with every match now basically an elimination final for the 12th-placed team. 

"He's possible the following week," backline coach Peter Dean said on Wednesday.

"We haven't put [an early end to his season] in concrete yet and he's still up for selection next week.

"We're looking at him to play but if there's a call to be made, we'll make the call."

First-round NAB AFL Draft pick and father-son acquisition Ayce Cordy is pushing for a senior berth over the final four rounds.

Shaun Higgins and Dale Morris trained on Wednesday and are available to face the Bombers.

"It would be great to see the big fella," Dean said of Cordy.

"This is his third year and he's had a horrid run with injuries but he's bouncing across the top of the ground at the moment, so he's well and truly up for selection.

"He's close this week. Six to eight weeks ago he tweaked his back and after that he's been good.

"He's back to the old Ayce Cordy who first arrived at the club."

Cordy isn't the only young player on the coaches' radar with four rounds remaining.

Jason Tutt is also a chance to add to the eight debutants the Dogs have played this season, while Christian Howard and Lukas Markovic could get more opportunities - the latter as early as this week given Williams' omission with a broken foot and the raft of Essendon forward options.

"They've got a good variety with Paddy Ryder and David Hille, and Scott Gumbleton can play if they need him to, and [Tom] Bellchambers can play there as well," Dean said.

"They rely pretty well on their smalls and their mediums, and they've got a pretty good system going.

"After watching last week's game against the Swans that was played at a frenetic pace, their style of play held up for them."

Dean said while a loss on Saturday could increase the chances of young players coming into the side over the final month of the season, the goal was to finish off the year on a winning note.

"Essendon need to win the game and we need to win to keep our finals chances alive," he said.

"We basically have to win games for the rest of the season to give ourselves a chance.

"There's probably four mini-finals until the end of the year.

"We're focused on winning and we might have some debutants before the end of the year too."

Jennifer Witham covers Western Bulldogs news for the AFL website. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham