Aaron Woods is one of a host of stars the battling Wests Tigers are likely to get back on deck for Sunday's NRL round 10 clash against Canterbury.
Five-eighth Mitchell Moses and prop Tim Grant are certain to return, while hooker Matt Ballin and mid-season buy Elijah Taylor will also come into consideration for spots in the 17.
Woods had pencilled in a comeback for the round 11 match against Newcastle, but on Monday trained with the team for the first time since injuring his ankle against the Knights in round four.
His return will be a major boost for the 14th-placed Tigers, who snapped a six-game losing streak with an upset win over South Sydney before the representative round break.
"I didn't finish the whole session, they just monitored us - myself and Timmy Grant back in there - so I've just got to see how it pulls up throughout the week," Woods said.
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"We saw the surgeon last week and he just said come back against Newcastle. So that's the goal, to get there definitely for Newcastle. But if it pulls good this week, it might be a chance of the Dogs."
Woods rated former Manly star Ballin, who hasn't played for his new club since undergoing a knee reconstruction last year, "half a chance" of running out against the Bulldogs.
The 32-year-old is likely to share the hooking duties with Robbie Farah.
"We had him out there for a field session today - just his talk and seniority around the place has been really good for us. He's a class player," Woods said.
"That Manly side he played in were unstoppable at times. To bring that to our club, it helped the boys, especially with all the leadership that we lost last year."
Moses was a late withdrawal from the team's last-start win over the Rabbitohs with a groin problem, while Grant also missed the game with a knee issue, but both trained strongly on Monday.
