Dougal Howard and Josh Battle have returned to full training duties as St Kilda steams towards Saturday’s elimination final against GWS.

The duo, who have overcome respective wrist and concussion setbacks, will be available for selection after the pre-finals bye allowed for an extra week of recovery.

“We’re pleased to have Dougal and Josh available for this week’s final,” Acting General Manager of Football David Misson said.

“The pre-finals bye has been beneficial as we look to strengthen our list and have as many players as possible available for the upcoming month.

“We’re also hopeful that Seb Ross will be available for selection, he’ll just need to pass a few fitness tests this week.”

Sadly, Jack Hayes’ season has come to an end after injuring his calf last week.

Hayes will undergo an additional post-season clean-out of his knee as he recovers from his latest setback, neither of which will impact his pre-season for 2024. 

“It was great to see Jack back at AFL level in Round 24, but his recovery since that game hasn't been linear," Misson said.

"He was quite sore after the game, but then subsequently strained a calf in training last week.

"We don't anticipate this to delay Jack's off or pre-season, so look forward to welcoming him back to the main group later this year."

Meanwhile, Zak Jones (knee) and Dan McKenzie (calf) are on the cusp of a return to full training, while Anthony Caminiti has joined Battle in exiting concussion protocols.

Injury list