Western Bulldogs' coach Rodney Eade says controversial forward Jason Akermanis might again be overlooked for Sunday's crucial AFL clash with Fremantle at Etihad Stadium.

The Bulldogs will replace the Dockers in the top four with a win, but will be long odds to earn the double chance if they lose, given they are already a win behind Fremantle.

Spearhead Barry Hall is expected back from an ankle injury, while captain Brad Johnson and midfielder Ryan Griffen are also likely to overcome ankle niggles to take their places.

But Eade said he was yet to make a call on Akermanis, who has played three VFL games as he works his way back from a club-imposed suspension.

"There needs to be some more discussion, not only about Jason but other players as well," Eade said on Wednesday.

"Obviously Brad with his ankle and Ryan Griffen didn't train today, we'll see how the players have pulled up fatigue-wise.

"So there's a whole range of things we need to discuss, but he's in the mix."

Eade said Akermanis' VFL form had been "reasonable". But when asked if his selection would be purely based on form, the coach added: "There's a lot of factors to weigh in."

Eade said the Dogs were pleased with Hall's recovery. The forward trained with the team on Tuesday after missing Saturday night's win over Port Adelaide in Darwin.

Johnson participated in part of the session, while Griffen skipped it, after experiencing some ankle swelling on the weekend.

But Eade said both should be ready to play the Dockers, helped by an eight-day gap between games.

Eade said the Bulldogs were building some solid form and had to concentrate on continuing their improvement, not on the double chance potentially on the line.

"Obviously whoever wins is fourth. If they win they probably sew it up, if we win we obviously give ourselves a chance," he said.

"But you've probably got to take that out of your mindset.

"We've had some good form, won four of the last five and some areas we've focused on are really improving, so we're happy about that.

"Our run's getting better, we're getting some players back from injury and our fitness is really good, so we certainly head into the game with a bit of confidence."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP