Geelong will be chasing a fourth straight win when they meet Collingwood at Optus Stadium on Thursday night.
Injuries to Mitch Duncan and Quinton Narkle were the only negatives in Geelong’s impressive 27-point comeback win against the Lions.
Their misfortune could open the door for a couple of changes this week and we take a look at some of the Cats in contention.
Lachie Fogarty
Caught the eye of Assistant Coach Nigel Lappin who said the 21-year-old ‘played well’ through the midfield in Geelong’s match simulation session against Collingwood on Friday.
Was named as an emergency last round and will be in the selection mix again this week.
Jack Steven
Won plenty of the ball playing limited minutes against Collingwood’s reserves after being managed last round.
“He is very classy when he has got the ball in hand and very clever, a really good decision maker,” Lappin said.
“We wanted to give Jack a slightly lighter weekend.”
“We have achieved that; he has got through and he will be looking forward to next weekend for sure.”
Jordan Clark
Repeatedly showed off his sharp ball use and daring dash from half-back to be among the game’s best players and push his case for selection.
“We got a lot of run and dash from Jordy Clark which is what you expect from him.”
Rhys Stanley
Has been sidelined with a knee injury since Round 3 but isn’t far away from a return.
“Rhys’ tracking really well,” GM Football Simon Lloyd said.
“He is full running, change of direction, doing contest work into full training, so he is not far away.”
Tom Stewart
Another who is edging closer to a return with every session.
“He has been working hard and doing all of his strength work and is now starting to run and will be involved heavily in football training this week, so we will see Tom sooner rather than later.”
James Parsons
Continues to mount a strong case for inclusion following another excellent performance in match simulation. He used the football well and finished the game strongly.
Zach Guthrie
As consistent as they come. Is playing well down back and just awaiting an opportunity.
Francis Evans
A bit of a smokey. First-year Cat Francis Evans caught the eye of Lappin on the weekend.
“I thought Francis Evans was really good to watch,” he said.
“He is good in a contest and he finishes well when he gets his opportunities.”
Tom Atkins
Might be a few weeks away, but Atkins is on the improve.
“At the moment his is medium term, but he has had a really good bike session today without any pain and he is tracking well,” Lloyd said.
