Chris Judd needs only to train strongly on Thursday to add another Lazarus-like chapter to Carlton's finals resurrection.
Judd moved well at Carlton's light training session at Visy Park on Tuesday to show a knee injury that originally looked likely to end his season was mending ahead of the Blues' elimination final against Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.
If the Blues had not been gifted passage to the finals after Essendon's expulsion over the supplements scandal, Judd's season would have been over.
But with their season prolonged at least an extra week, and playing a Sunday final, it has given him every chance of playing for the Blues.
"It was only a light session today and what he did was OK, but full training at our main session on Thursday will certainly prove whether he's right," Carlton coaching director Rob Wiley said.
"The one thing (coach) Mick (Malthouse) has done in the past is he only plays fit players.
"Go up against a quality side like Richmond and you need running players who play four quarters."
Malthouse and Judd spent several minutes talking at length after the session was finished.
The Blues' other injury concerns, Brock McLean and Heath Scotland, will also need to prove their fitness to Malthouse on Thursday.
Both have quadriceps problems, both missed the Blues' win over Port Adelaide last weekend, and neither trained fully on Tuesday.
Wiley, a former premiership player with Richmond and Malthouse's right-hand-man, warned there was a balance that needed to be struck in bringing too many players with question marks into the pressure cooker atmosphere of finals.
"If we can't match Richmond in the running stakes, then we have to make that decision. It's important they do train (on Thursday)," Wiley said.