GARY Ablett will be named in the squad and Jake Kolodjashnij is set to return from a concussion for Geelong’s clash with Hawthorn on Sunday.
Ablett suffered a knock to his hip in last week’s win over St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium and should be right to take on the Hawks.
However, coach Chris Scott has stopped short of declaring him a certainty for the Cats’ final MCG home-and-away match of the season.
“I’m not super-confident because I don’t know what’s he’s feeling,” Scott said. “I haven’t really spent too much time trying to get across how he is day-to-day, hour-to-hour.
“It’s Thursday, we don’t play until Sunday. There’s still plenty of time to make that decision.
“In my opinion, it’s an error early in the week to try and predict how things are going to pan out.
“What is easier is if they’re ruled out; he hasn’t been ruled out, so in my mind, the potential for him to play is still there.
“Yeah, there are some hurdles, but every player has hurdles to get over between Thursday and Sunday.”
Scott says the door remains open for Ablett to be rested over the final six rounds of the season, but it’s no certainty.
“He had a week off due to suspension, he had the mid-season bye, and he’ll have the pre-finals bye,” Scott said.
“So that kind of satisfies – if I were to be held to it – that he will have three rests through the home-and-away season.
“Whether he has another one is in our thinking, but it’s more a week-to-week proposition rather than fixing something now.”
Veteran midfielder Scott Selwood is inching closer towards an AFL return and will be named in the 26-man squad tonight despite failing to see out last week’s VFL win over Sandringham with a rib cartilage issue.
“The main issue for us was to rule out anything more sinister, and they’ve done that, so he looks as if he’ll be OK,” Scott said.
Midfielder Sam Menegola will make his return from two months on the sidelines following knee surgery in Geelong’s VFL clash with the Casey Demons at Casey Fields on Saturday.
“We probably held him back for a week longer than we could have, which means he’ll be pretty much uninhibited with his game time this week,” Scott said.
Twitter: @tom_king79
Email: kingy@geelongbroadcasters.com
