Geelong are set to regain skipper Joel Selwood and forward Luke Dahlhaus against Fremantle but will sweat on the fitness of goalkicker Gary Rohan amid a five-day turnaround and a trip to Perth.
Selwood and Dahlhaus were both “managed” for Saturday’s win over Carlton, where Rohan, who has kicked 25 goals in 14 games, came off late with a cork.
“The plan is for (Selwood and Dahlhaus) to come back in but as always, we’ve got a lot that we want to play and only 22 spots. So we need to work through that a little bit,” coach Chris Scott said.
“Joel’s not perfect but we thought the most honest description of the situation for him this week is to say he was managed, rather than be specific about a few little issues that might keep him out of a game later in the year.
“… It just depends how (Rohan) pulls up – it’s almost impossible to say he’s going to be okay but it’s certainly not one where we’re saying he’s not going to be.
“…Two years ago it would have been the main story – five-day break, getting on a plane and going to Perth but (with) what we’ve been through the last 18 months it’s kind of ‘play on’.”
Scott hinted the Cats would continue to manage players throughout the season.
The Geelong coach has previously expressed his preference for shorter game time and re-iterated that on Saturday night, saying he wouldn’t encourage more five-day breaks in the season going forward unless the quarter lengths were reduced like in 2020.
“The shorter games do allow you to play off shorter breaks,” he said.
“Five-day breaks, with the game time and the longer seasons – at least for us, it would be unsustainable to play with the same 22 every week.
“If that’s what we have to do then so be it but I don’t think it’s best for the game. I think you want the best players out there as much as possible. I certainly like it when there’s heat on the game and it’s punchy rather than drawn-out.
“Because there’s nothing the rule makers can do to stop the coaches controlling the tempo of the game. We’ll win that one every time.
“That’s the equation – shorter game time, you’ve got a lot more flexibility.
“… The options (fixture-wise) really open up with shorter game time and they drastically reduce with the game time we’re enduring at the moment.”
© AAP
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