Geelong could give skipper Joel Selwood until game day to prove his fitness to lead the Cats against AFL ladder leaders Greater Western Sydney.
Selwood was laid out unconscious, flat on his back on the Simonds Stadium turf in the first minute of Sunday’s thrilling win over Fremantle after a head clash with Hayden Ballantyne.
He was helped off the ground by two trainers before jogging to the Cats’ rooms for assessment where he was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Geelong only have a six-day break before they take on the Giants at Spotless Stadium on Saturday night, but the 29-year-old is recovering well from the nasty collision.
“We play Saturday and we probably won’t make a decision until Friday, possibly even Saturday,” coach Chris Scott told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“But I’ll be asked a lot (about his availability) during the week and … I have no idea.
“The doctors won’t really know until they’ve been through all of the tests, but our normal process is to wait as long as possible to be really sure.”
Selwood has become known as one of the game’s most courageous players over the course of his 241-game career.
His fearless approach has seen him leave many matches with his battered head bandaged, but Scott was at pains to debunk the misconception that he had suffered multiple concussions during his career.
“He’s almost bandaged pre-game these days because he’s bled so much,” the coach said.
“But the last time he was concussed was 2012 (so) that might be the third time (at the weekend).
“To draw the conclusion that Joel Selwood gets concussed a lot is incorrect – that should be clarified if anyone is thinking that.”
Selwood told reporters at Simonds Stadium on Monday that he was pleased with his early recovery, but couldn’t shed any light on his availability for the much-anticipated clash.
“I’m feeling alright … I mean I sat on the bench for three quarters, felt like I was with the game, and enjoyed the fight that the boys put up,” Selwood told Fox Sports News.
“I thought I could get to the ball ball but I was just that tad bit late.
“It was just a head clash and he just got me in a real sweet spot.”
The Cats were left counting the cost of the stunning two-point win over the Dockers, with Tom Stewart suffering a facial fracture and Darcy Lang knocked out of the game with an ankle injury.
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