Mangoplah Cookardinia United-Eastlakes midfielder Trent Cohalan is racing the clock to be fit for Sunday's elimination final showdown with Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong after aggravating an ankle injuryin the last round.
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The 31-year-old former skipper first rolled the ankle in a training drill on Thursday and tweaked it again midway through the third quarter of Saturday's 79-point thrashing of Collingullie-Glenfield Park.
Cohalan will have scans this week but conceded the injury needs to improve to take his place against the Lions at Robertson Oval.
"It's a real day-by-day (proposition) to be honest. At this point if I was to make a call it would probably be a no," he said.
"I've got to get some scans done the next couple of days, see a physio and another guy as the week progresses and see how I go.
"I guess the eight day break will be handy for me to try and get it right, but certainly it's not something you want to happen in the last round.
"The last thing I want to do is go into a final underdone and let the team down.
"I did a similar injury at the start of the year to the other leg and it kept me out for a while, so I hope it's not as long."
Cohalan is optimistic the Goannas can make a finals charge from fifth spot after bouncing back from a six-goal loss to Griffith the week before with a big win over the Demons.
"We got back to playing the footy we know we can," he said.
"We were pretty poor the week before against Griffith, (against Collingullie) our ball movement and patterns were the most pleasing thing.
"They (Lions) have obviously been in pretty good form lately and have got the best ruckman in the comp (Jacob Olsson) in my opinion.
"He gives them first use and with Ben Walsh up forward and a really strong on ball unit who can win it at the source pretty well, we need to curb their influence."
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