Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield is a chance to return for next week’s meeting with ladder leader Sydney as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
The 34-year-old hasn’t played since he was subbed out during Geelong’s Round 7 win over Carlton after re-injuring the hamstring that kept him out for a month earlier in the season.
Cats coach Chris Scott said they’ve been cautious with Dangerfield, but he looks ready to return after training well over the past week.
“We’ve played plenty of guys confidently with the preparation he’s had to play this week,” Scott said.
“That’s a good indication that he could play next week.
“We’ve had a pretty strong history with this sort of thing, but even with him specifically where we’ve held him back more than we thought was required and got good results off the back of it.
“This feels a little similar to that situation.
“But every time you watch him train, you think, ‘I’d like to have this guy out on the park now’ because he looks ready.”
LISTEN: CAT ATTACK PODCAST – MAY 30
Scott said Stanley will return through the VFL this weekend, with young ruck Toby Conway holding his spot at AFL level.
The Cats play Richmond in the VFL as a curtain-raiser to the AFL clash.
“He won’t play a full game, but we think he’s good enough to get some match practice in the VFL, with the view of getting him in really tip-top shape to come back into the AFL team,” Scott said.
Scott said Guthrie was recovering from an Achilles issue well but would still need some time before he was ready to return at any level.
“He just had a little flare-up with his Achilles,” Scott said.
“We were optimistic he would play some VFL time for match practice this week but hadn’t come up well enough to do that, so we’ll hold him back likely for one more week.”
Jew Bews (syndesmosis) will play his first game in four weeks in the VFL.
X: @krockfootball
