After injuring his knee in a water skiing accident on the Easter long weekend, the week after round one, Ambler had his fingers crossed he hadn't torn his anterior cruciate ligament.

He avoided doing so by a small margin, and will return for his second game of the year when the Goannas host Turvey Park.

"I was pretty lucky, I tore my medial and stressed my ACL pretty badly, but I didn't tear it," he said.

"That was a pretty big positive when I got the scans back, I was fearing the worst. It's a bit nerve wracking, I've never done a knee before and I was pretty worried.

"It was a week turnaround. My dad's a physio so he got me the scans back and explained everything to me, and got a program written up straight away.

"I'm a builder by trade, if I can't work that's my income. I've been lucky enough to be able to work, albeit with a knee brace on.

"I'm not a very good watcher and especially being up in the box helping Rowey (coach Jeremy Rowe) out, I've been told to quieten down a bit."

Ambler's return is a big boost for the Goannas, given they have had issues at times finding regular scoring options around full forward Trent Castles.

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"It's definitely my aim, to get minimum two goals a game and try and get some touches in the middle," Ambler said.

"That's what I strive to be but it depends what the team needs, sometimes I get a job to do.

"We (Ambler and Castles) definitely had a good thing going last year. He knows how I move and vice versa.

"Everyone thinks we just hit Trent up but our forward line has so many available options, we just have to lower our eyes and hit a target.

"Sometimes you just watch the ball go over your head and he does his thing. But there's other days where his defender is having a good day, and that's where other forwards need to step in and it's their day."

MCUE and Turvey Park both sit at 4-3, with the winner to grab outright fourth on the ladder.

The Goannas also welcome back key defender Tim Smith (hip, elbow) for his first game since round four.

However, Rowe said Trent Cohalan is unavailable after picking up an injury in the last-start loss to Collingullie-Glenfield Park, and others are racing the clock through illness.

"Brayden's an elite ball user and that's one area we've been falling down, and Tim's form as a key back was quite incredible over the first month," Rowe said.

"It's an absolutely massive game in the contest of the season.

"We have to be patient getting some (personnel) stability and that may not happen until next week, but the Turvey game is the one we have to find a way to win.

"I'm not a fan of saying we have to win ugly, it's usually an excuse not to play well, but we just have to grit the teeth and find a way to win this weekend.

"Whether that's a tight arm wrestle or we play some really good footy, the 'w' is what's important for us."

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