Griffen, who was appointed captain in the off-season, has been hampered by back soreness and soft-tissue problems in his legs. But the Bulldogs' medical team is confident he’s ready to return.
“Ryan has been progressing really well, he had a big session on Tuesday which he has coped with very well and has pulled up well today,” Medical Services Manager Andrew McKenzie told the club's website.
“We expect him to be into training tomorrow and we will assess him after tomorrow’s session.”
The Dogs' hierarchy also hopeful of Griffen's inclusion.
"He got some tightness after a grueling session in February, but he had done an enormous amount of work before that, so we are comfortable he will have a fair bit of work behind him,” Assistant Coach Brett Montgomery told The Age’s Michael Gleeson.
"In terms of time frame, we are confident he will be right for this week. We will monitor how he pulls up from training, but he was not that far away last week but we thought with the travel and other factors it was best to be conservative.”
The dynamic midfielder has a strong record against North Melbourne, registering five Brownlow Medal votes in the last three games between the teams.
He averaged 29 disposals a game in 2013 during the most consistent season of his career.
"It won't really be whether he gets through training because we fully expect him to get through, it is more whether we think he has the work to be able to play his full game. Is he ready for this week with the amount we can play him or do we wait another week?"
The Bulldogs considered using Griffen as a substitute against the Eagles, but opted to hold him back until he was able to play full matches.
"We are very confident that once he is back he is back; he is not back and his injury is being managed, or back and needing to monitor his game time ... that is why we took the cautious approach."
