West Coast Eagles goal-kicking record holder and dual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy will make his return in tomorrow evening’s match against the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium.

But the return of the champion forward is not the only injection of talent inside the attacking 50 metre arc, with Jake Waterman returning from a fractured hand. Midfielder Brayden Ainsworth also returns for his first game in this stint in the Queensland hub.

Captain Luke Shuey could not be considered because of hamstring issues, while experienced defender Shannon Hurn has been managed and ruckman-forward Bailey Williams has been omitted.

Kennedy received a heavy knock in a marking contest against Richmond last Thursday week, but has passed all tests and looked lively on the track at today’s captain’s run.

Waterman has missed the last four games after damaging his hand on the training track in the lead-up to the round 12 game against Hawthorn at Optus Stadium.

This match looms as another pivotal contest for both clubs, with the Eagles needing to win to lock down a place in the top eight and to lay a platform to push higher inside the finals equation.

The Bulldogs are also in the congestion in the bottom half of the table, sitting in 10^th position behind ninth-placed Melbourne and both St Kilda and GWS who are a game ahead in seventh and eighth respectively.

It always gets intense with the fallout from wins and losses magnified in the run home, the results causing greater fluctuations in this compacted season.