Brumbies flanker Owen Finegan is in doubt for the clash with the Waratahs on Saturday after being hospitalised with an infected knee.

Finegan was admitted to hospital on Monday night so he could have antibiotics administered intravenously, and while he will be released on Wednesday morning will have only Friday's training session to prove his fitness in order to take his place.

Officials from the ACT are at a loss to explain how Finegan's knee came to be infected, but consider it almost certain that it happened during the team's 20-13 loss to the Hurricanes at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.

Finegan wasn't the only player missing from Tuesday's training session, with lock Justin Harrison (bruised knee) and hooker Jeremy Paul (ankle) also watching on.

"It's a major disruption to our preparation," ACT coach David Nucifora said. "It's far from ideal, it's going to really test the character of our side."

Harrison should train on Wednesday but Paul won't return to training until Friday after missing last week's game with his injury. Scott Fava or Radike Samo will replace Finegan if he doesn't come up, while David Pusey and Damain Flynn are on standby for Harrison and Paul.

Reserve hooker Adam Freier, who played in Paul's place on Sunday, has had a pin inserted in his injured right ankle, and is expected to miss the rest of the Super 12 season as he recovers.

Meanwhile Tom Bowman has kept his place at lock for the Waratahsdespite the return from suspension of Jono West.

West has served his three-week ban for stamping but could only manage a place on the bench, at the expense of Steve Talbot, with coach Bob Dwyer retaining his faith in Bowman.

"Last weekend Tom Bowman played the best game I've seen him play since I've been here," Dwyer said. "We needed him to step up after we lost Jono West and it's a credit to Tom that he's kept someone as good as Jono out of the starting side."

Vice-captain Brendan Cannon lauded the fact that the team is so strong at the moment that it can afford to bring back a player like West and leave him on the bench.

"We're very fortunate to have Jono coming back from suspension but he's probably just a little bit underdone after coming back from suspension but he's certain to see some game time," he said.

Also of interest in the match, should Paul play, will be his battle with hooker Cannon, but Cannon says he isn't going into the game viewing the clash as a Wallaby trial.

"I don't see it as a personal duel," Cannon said. "I'm not looking at it as myself playing against Jeremy, ultimately it's just two very good sides playing against each other.

"The passion's always there and the significance of each game is always the same, you're trying to get as many points as you can out of the game."

Cannon isn't getting carried away with the fact that the ACT has lost its last two matches, saying that won't come into it at all when the match starts.

"I don't really think there's really any relevance in the fact that they've had two losses, we've had a loss ourselves. The Brumbies are such a good side that regardless of who they're playing against ... you've just got to play as well as you can."

Wingers Marc Stcherbina (fractured cheekbone) and Scott Staniforth (knee) have also been named in the starting side after suffering injuries last weekend.

NSW: Mat Rogers, Scott Staniforth, Matthew Burke (c), Nathan Grey, Marc Stcherbina, Duncan McRae, Chris Whitaker, David Lyons, Phil Waugh, Des Tuiavii, Van Humphries, Tom Bowman, Rod Moore, Brendan Cannon (vc), Matt Dunning. Res: Huia Edmonds, Patricio Noriega, Jono West, Simon Kasprowicz, Tim Clark, Manny Edmonds, Sam Harris.