"A lot will depend on how he trains this week," Sheedy said.

"It's no good rushing him back but I'd like to at least play him in the seconds.

"I still think he'd be a very good player off the bench, that's one of the good things about him."

This weekend was the last of the minor round in the VFL, and with the Bombers out of finals contention in that competition, it was critical Mercuri could play to press his senior selection claims.

Adam Ramanauskas was deemed certain to return from an ankle injury against Fremantle this weekend while Sheedy said he would be disappointed if ruckman Steven Alessio could not resume from an achilles tendon problem.

Justin Blumfield faces a fitness test on a knee injury, while Aaron Hennemann would play in the VFL after being sidelined with a hip injury.