GRANT Birchall, Jeremy Howe and Dan Butler are among the AFL-listed players set to be granted permission to gather match fitness in the VFL finals this weekend if required.
Subsection 'g' of rule 20 of the VFL finals eligibility criteria involves AFL clubs that are participating in the AFL finals and are subject to this week's bye.
It states that if the club's VFL team is playing on the bye weekend, any "AFL-listed player who did not play in the AFL team in the final round of the home and away season will be eligible to play in the VFL team".
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Hawthorn's Birchall, Collingwood's Howe and Richmond's Butler are all in that category and are on the cusp of a return to the field after missing multiple weeks with injury.
It also means Hawk Daniel Howe could gather match fitness in Box Hill's elimination final against Port Melbourne on Saturday after missing five weeks with suspension.
Collingwood's Adam Treloar and Tyson Goldsack are also permitted to play in the Magpies' elimination final against Essendon on Sunday.
Butler and Kane Lambert can run out in Richmond's Saturday night qualifying final against Williamstown, but Dion Prestia – if the Tigers wanted to boost his match fitness after an interrupted season – cannot.
Prestia played in the Tigers' round 23 win over the Western Bulldogs and is therefore ineligible.
Butler is on track to play limited minutes ahead of the Tigers' AFL qualifying final against Hawthorn on September 6, but Lambert is likely to be held over from the VFL and put his hand straight up for senior selection.
With the VFL unable to regulate every circumstance surrounding individual players, AFL clubs can also apply for eligibility when the rules are ambiguous around a particular situation.
This is the likely scenario for Birchall, who hasn't played at any level this year. If he makes his return in the VFL this week and if Box Hill wins then the Hawks may apply for eligibility the following weekend when senior team kicks off their finals series.
Melbourne players such as Mitch Hannan and Jayden Hunt can play in the Casey Demons' qualifying final against Geelong on Saturday. Hannan was a late withdrawal with a knee injury from round 23 while Hunt has been nursing an ankle injury.
And, big Cat Esava Ratugolea can run out in the same game, after returning to the VFL field on Saturday after missing three months with a broken leg.
