Daylesford is planning to have veteran Michael Cummings and Tasmanian-based Jake Briggs back for Saturday's top-of-the table encounter with Bungaree in the Central Highlands Football League.
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Each is set to return after missing one round.
Cummings was rested with shoulder pain after a heavy fall against Carngham-Linton, while Briggs does not play every game.
Daylesford coach Hamish Jarrad will miss again though.
He is being managed through this mid-season phase with a view to being fully fit for the run home after the upcoming second full competition break of the campaign.
Jarrad said he also saw it as an opportunity to sit back and take a good look from the sidelines at exactly how the Bulldogs were progressing.
He said he was particularly looking forward to the clash with Bungaree.
"It's going to be a big day - a great occasion for the club."
It is unquestionably Daylesford's biggest match of the season.
The Bulldogs' early clash with arch-rival Hepburn and then meeting with reigning premier Gordon had been important moments in its 2024 journey to date, but this fixture goes to another level with what is at stake.
Daylesford and Bungaree head the ladder with one loss apiece.
The Bulldogs are on top - four premiership points ahead of the Demons - on the strength that Bungaree has had a bye and they have not.
"This challenge will tell us exactly where we stand in the scheme of things," Jarrad said.
He said the Bulldogs had learnt a great deal in their round seven 41-point loss to Gordon.
Jarrad said that defeat had put them in good stead for the meeting with Bungaree.
He is certainly not concerned about being overawed.
He said while Bungaree was a seasoned combination, Daylesford also had a group of players accustomed to big games.
- The Courier will live stream the Daylesford v Bungaree match from 2.30pm at thecourier.com.au
