GWS hope fit-again stars Toby Greene and Brett Deledio will be back to their best long before AFL finals, with the former having already made a big impression in his comeback game.

Greene (foot) and Deledio (calf) both returned on Saturday, having spent almost three months on the sidelines.

Greene repaid coach Leon Cameron’s faith with two critical goals in the Giants’ thrilling two-point win over reigning premiers Richmond, which lifted the expansion club back into the top eight.

The small forward was responsible for the Giants’ only goal in a lopsided final quarter, steering through his set shot from deep in the pocket.

GWS took a more conservative approach with Deledio, deciding the veteran should play at least one game in the NEAFL because of his recurring calf trouble in recent years.

Deledio helped himself to 32 possessions in the seconds and is now almost certain to return against Port Adelaide.

Cameron, who has regularly been forced to reshuffle the magnets this season because of a stack of injuries to key personnel, was understandably thrilled with Deledio’s comeback in the reserves.

“We’re really rapt he got through. He had a lot of the footy, covered the ground,” he said.

“If he pulls up really well, there’s no doubt he is going to be banging the door down. I’m really proud of our medical team to get him back up and running.

“We were close to bringing him (into the AFL side).

“His preparation, for a guy who has had so many setbacks over the last three years, is phenomenal.”

Cameron, desperate for a dependable goal-kicker as he reshapes his forward line without stars Jeremy Cameron (suspension) and Jon Patton (season-ending knee injury), was also full of praise for Greene.

“Each week he’ll get better and better … hopefully in the next three or four weeks we really start to see what Toby can do,” Leon Cameron said.

“He adds an enormous amount to our team.

“We understand he’s had an interrupted season … but in big moments he knows what to do.

“To kick that goal wasn’t easy and there’s no doubt we needed it.”

Cameron was keen to keep the lid on after GWS defeated the ladder-leading Tigers, noting the club still have plenty of work to do because of a month-long losing streak that threatened to ruin their hopes of reaching the finals.

“I’m really proud and we needed it because we were beaten last week,” he said.

“It puts us back in the hunt but we know the equation … we need to keep winning.”