WESTERN Bulldogs forward Robert Murphy's dream of playing for Victoria is coming true, but a decision on injured teammate Brad Johnson will rest with medical staff.

Assistant coach Kevin Sheedy said Murphy would be named in the final squad of 25 for tomorrow night's Hall of Fame match at the MCG.

Senior coach Mark Thompson said Johnson, who trained lightly yesterday, would be given until today to prove his fitness.

The Bulldogs skipper is struggling to overcome a calf problem.

During yesterday's training session at the MCG, Murphy's mild case of nerves quickly gave way to the realisation he was living out the early stages of a childhood dream.

"It's not hard to get up for training with all these guys running around … it's a dream-come-true," he said.

"I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

"If I do get the nod and get on the ground, I'll be pretty keen to represent the state."

The 25-year-old, who grew up barracking for Richmond, called himself a "state-of-origin baby" who was thrilled just to be named in the initial squad of 40 players.

"Being a Richmond supporter when I was little, there wasn't a lot to cheer about, so the state of origin was as good as it got," he said.

"I'm sure the guys they (the Dream Team) have got in their side are competitive people and I can assure you the guys in here are pretty competitive.

"Saturday night will be a pretty hard, tough contest."

Murphy said the atmosphere among the Victorians was positive.