TOM De Koning and Nic Newman are both on the verge of making their returns to football.

The duo has been sidelined since last year, with De Koning sustaining a back injury in the pre-season while Newman has not played since Round 2 of 2020 due to a ruptured patella tendon.

Pending training in the next week and a half, De Koning and Newman could make their returns as early as Round 3 of the VFL.

Director of High Performance Andrew Russell said both players would be monitored closely in their respective returns from injury.

“Tom De Koning is back out there doing ball work, the boys were very excited to see him doing ball work,” Russell said.

“He’ll train this week, he’ll train next week and we’ll make a decision next week on whether we think he’s ready to play.

“Nic Newman trained really well last week and trained really well today again... he’s a really good chance to be playing footy next week.”

They could also be joined by Jack Carroll, who is making progress in his comeback from a fractured thumb.

However, fellow draftee Luke Parks will miss the next 1-2 weeks due to a low-grade hamstring strain.

Russell also shed light on the respective returns of Zac Fisher, Jack Martin and Jack Silvagni.

Martin is back running after a PCL injury sustained in the final contest of Round 2, while Fisher and Silvagni both underwent surgery last week.

“We expect [Fisher] to be back running later this week and progress as the ankle allows us: he should be out there doing footy skills within two weeks,” he said.

“There’s not much swelling in [Martin’s] knee at all. We’re happy with the way he’s moving.

“[Silvagni’s] surgery was to reduce inflammation in the joint and it has done that. He’s back out running which is great... he’ll probably miss another three weeks or so.”