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Geelong star Steve Johnson has received a massive piece of good news as he tries to prove his fitness for the AFL grand final.
Scans on Sunday ruled out structural damage to his left knee, meaning he is certainly in contention to make the side for Saturday’s clash against Collingwood.
The key words in Geelong’s media release were that his knee was “clinically stable”.
“The results have been analysed by the club’s medical staff and show that the knee is clinically stable,” the Cats’ statement read.
“It is swollen and Steve will be utilising a hyperbaric chamber to aid in his recovery.”
Johnson wrenched his knee when West Coast midfielder Andrew Embley tackled him in Saturday’s preliminary final.
The 2007 Norm Smith medallist was in agony as he was stretchered from the field, but was walking without crutches soon after.
Cats fans greeted Johnson with rousing applause as he gingerly walked around the boundary to the interchange bench later in the match.
Four-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews said earlier on Sunday that if Johnson’s knee did not have serious damage, the Cats player was a big chance to play.
He pointed to Brisbane captain Michael Voss in the 2003 grand final and Lions key forward Jonathan Brown a year later.
Matthews said they went into the grand finals with knee injuries, but painkillers meant they were able to play.
“As long as you’re structurally okay, if there’s just some discomfort, sometimes they can just deaden the knee joint so you don’t feel any discomfort,” Matthews told Channel Seven’s Game Day.
“But it has to be structurally sound at least to do that.”
While Johnson starred in the 2007 grand final, he went into the same game two years later suffering from soreness and only had nine disposals as Geelong narrowly beat St Kilda.
Captain Nick Maxwell (ribs) and team-mates Darren Jolly and Ben Reid, who have upper leg injuries, are the main injury concerns for Collingwood at the start of grand final week.
Maxwell suffered a knock late in Friday night’s epic preliminary final win over Hawthorn, but should play.
Reid went into the match with his upper leg heavily strapped after missing the qualifying final through injury.
The All-Australian key defender clearly was not at his fittest against Hawthorn.
Jolly had to come off late in the match and was hobbling by the end of the game.
Of the trio, Jolly appears in the biggest doubt.
But coach Mick Malthouse was confident on Sunday that they will play.
Asked about Reid and Jolly, he said: “They are both pretty comfortable, the medical staff seem to think they both should play”.
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