THE Western Bulldogs are confident Ryan Griffen will be fit to play in Saturday's twilight clash with Gold Coast in Cairns, despite the skipper missing the club's open training session on Friday morning due to illness.
"He's woken up a little bit under the weather," Dogs assistant coach Brett Montgomery said after the session at Cazaly's Stadium.
"He will train. He'll train this afternoon, which is appropriate with game-time, so there's no issue there.
"We still think he'll play, but we didn't think it was too smart to get him out here this morning."
The Dogs have brought two emergencies, Daniel Giansiracusa and Jason Johannisen, to Cairns, and both took part in the training session on Friday morning.
Montgomery refused to say which of the emergencies will get a call-up if Griffen is ruled out.
"We'll make that call as late as we need to," he said.
The Bulldogs last played Gold Coast in round 10.
On that afternoon at Metricon Stadium, Brendan McCartney's men trailed by just six points at half-time before conceding eight goals in the third quarter and losing by 45 points.
"30 really poor minutes cost us," Montgomery said. "We've analysed that within an inch of its life, so we know what we're in for."
The Bulldogs won't have to contend with Gary Ablett this time, given the superstar midfielder has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.
It means tagger Liam Picken can direct his attention elsewhere, although the Dogs know from recent experience that Gold Coast's talent pool runs deep.
"It's a huge out, but he was only one of about half a dozen who ripped us apart in that 30 minutes when we played them last time," Montgomery said.
"Their lesser-lights are all top-10 draft picks in their own right, and it just gives them an opportunity to show their wares.
"So we're very wary of the next six or seven under (Ablett)."
The Suns are confident they'll have an advantage as this will be their fourth game for premiership points in Cairns, whereas the Dogs are playing at Cazaly's Stadium for the first time.
But Montgomery doesn't believe the lack of experience at the venue will be an issue for his team.
"I don't think it's hard at all," he said. "I think our record in Darwin … speaks for itself. We win more than we lose.
"We like the wide open spaces, we like the warmth, so I don't think it will be an issue."
Added veteran onballer Matthew Boyd: "It's nice to get up here and feel some heat on your back, and you feel a bit better about yourself."
A big factor in games in Cairns is the wind that springs up every afternoon and blows straight down the ground.
But Boyd is confident the Dogs will cope with the conditions.
"If you've ever been to the Whitten Oval in the middle of winter you'd see that wind is not an issue for Bulldogs people," he said.
"We train in it every day, so the wind is not an issue for us."
