Geelong midfielder Tanner Bruhn has been ruled out of Friday night’s clash against Port Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium.
The Newtown & Chilwell product copped a knock to his shoulder during the Cats’ loss to Melbourne in Round 8, which saw him subbed out in the third term.
Coach Chris Scott said Bruhn has recovered well, but they aren’t going to risk him.
“We’ll keep him available in case something happens, but our plan is to hold him back this week and have him fresh for next week,” Scott said.
“It’s one of those that we’ve had quite a bit this year, and for us, there’s a big difference between being available to play and being optimal.
“We’re just going to be a bit conservative with him.”
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Scott confirmed that Brandon Parfitt and Mark O’Connor are set to rejoin the team after missing last week.
In the meantime, young ruckman Toby Conway is dealing with a hip flexor injury, meaning he’ll have to wait to get his chance back in the senior team after playing two games this season.
“We would have brought him in this week; that was our plan,” Scott, who will be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame next month, said.
“He’s just not quite right after a little hip flexor issue, which is disappointing because we thought we set up his program to be in a position to play well this week.
“Toby’s going to play when he’s primed to play; we’re just not going to roll him out.
“He’s probably a little like (Bruhn) in that, in their mind, they would think ‘I could still play’ but we’re just not comfortable that it’s optimal this week.
“That’s a hard decision to make because we were really looking forward to seeing him play.”
The Power are set to make at least four changes to their side. Skipper Connor Rozee will miss with a hamstring issue, while Jordon Sweet has a virus.
Jase Burgoyne and Lachie Jones are also dealing with injuries.
Tanner Bruhn will be a special guest as during K rock Football’s pre-game tomorrow night via FM 95.5 or krockfootball.live
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