ESSENDON has played down the chances of key forward Joe Daniher returning from injury before the end of the season.

On Tuesday morning Bombers assistant coach Mark Harvey said Daniher, who has been sidelined since round seven because of osteitis pubis, could step up his training this week.

"He's still a work in a progress but he's going to do maybe at the end of this week match simulation and that will really tell us where he's at," Bombers assistant coach Mark Harvey told SEN on Tuesday morning. 

"From that, I reckon we'll get a good gauge as to whether he's going to play again or not this year."

However, senior coach John Worsfold said later on Tuesday the training Harvey was referring to was individual work.

Daniher was not part of the Bombers' main training session on Tuesday at the club's Tullamarine headquarters.

"When I think 'Harves' talked about match simulation he was probably talking about Joe on his own on Saturday trying to run and replicate game stuff. But I don't think that's happening this week," Worsfold said.

Late last month, Daniher was rated as an unlikely chance to appear again in the home-away-season by the club's physical performance manager Justin Crow. 

The Bombers need to win all three of their remaining games, which includes their round 22 clash with Richmond, and rely on other results including Sydney losing all three to finish inside the top eight.