Geelong should have an idea by mid-August when injured pair Jeremy Cameron and Max Holmes will be available to return.
Cameron (AC joint) and Holmes (syndesmosis) have undergone surgery in the past fortnight, with both racing the clock to play again in 2026.
Cameron is already back running, while Holmes’ operation proved successful.
“There’s actually not that much that they can do in the really acute phase besides make sure that there isn’t a setback by doing something silly or pushing too hard,” coach Chris Scott said.
“But I think in reality, probably give them and the club three or four weeks, would that be fair?
“To sort of see how it’s all sitting, and then we’ll be able to give a more accurate guide.”
After getting a look at life without Cameron against St Kilda, Geelong will have an idea of the impact of Holmes’ absence against Melbourne on Friday night.
“I’ve never really subscribed to the theory that, ‘Well, it’s, you know, one really important player out, so we’ve got to find a guy to fill his role’,” Scott said.
“That’s not the way we think about our team, but we think about the individual strengths a bit more and how they would impact the overall make-up of the team.”
CATS: “IN MY HEAD, I’M NOT DONE FOR THE YEAR” – HOLMES
It will be the first time Geelong has faced Melbourne since former Cats assistant coach Steven King took the top job at the Demons.
“It’s interesting because we’re playing a team who’s coached by a guy who knows us intimately,” Scott said
“But I don’t think he’s ever sort of thought about us that much without Cameron or Holmes, so we will be different.
“And because of that, different personnel will play slightly differently. But again, I’m not telling him anything he doesn’t know.
“We’re optimistic that we can put a team out there that’s capable of performing well, not just this week, but we’re optimistic about the rest of the season.”
Holmes’ injury will see Geelong make at least one change, with Scott optimistic Shaun Mannagh (hamstring awareness) will be right to take on Melbourne.
Veteran trio Mark Blicavs, Jake Kolodjashnij and Jack Martin were all managed by the Cats off a five-day break following a loss to the GWS Giants.
“We’ve got to work through it a little bit more,” Scott said.
“We’ve got some options on the table. And as I alluded to last week, last week the changes weren’t a reaction to how we were going.
“That was probably more a reference to the macro plan that we had coming off the bye, a few weeks in, (a) five-day break into St Kilda,
“We just want to make sure that we do have fresh and healthy guys on the table.”
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