GEELONG is yet to put a timeframe on forward Mitch Clark's return from a calf injury.
Clark was injured against West Coast in round nine, and the injury has not healed in the manner the club was expecting.
"It's been a little more problematic than we would have hoped," Cats coach Chris Scott said.
"But as we stated really clearly in the pre-season, we never had any intention to bring Mitch in and flog him for all he's worth in the short term.
"Irrespective of his calf injury, we were always going to be really careful with his playing program to make sure we have a long-term asset on our hands."
Asked when he was expecting Clark – who has kicked 14 goals in eight games for the Cats in 2015 – to return to the field, Scott was deliberately non-committal.
"Our best guess would have been that he would be playing by now when he first hurt his calf," Scott said.
"Mainly for our supporters' sake, don't plan on seeing Mitch for a couple of weeks but we don't think it's a long-term thing.
"Even if it is, we've got strong confidence that the long-term plan is he is an important player for us."
In better news, luckless forward Daniel Menzel will play for Geelong's VFL side against Werribee on Saturday.
Menzel, who has undergone four knee reconstructions, will play his first game in more than two years.
"It's really exciting for him and for us," Scott said.
"As I said a week or two ago, it's a cautious excitement. As we've been very clear on with Dan, it's not a performance measure this week; it's just a matter of getting back, getting through a game and building some confidence from there."
Despite the optimism surrounding the talented 23-year-old, Scott said he was loathe to predict when or if Menzel would return to the AFL team at some stage this season.
"We're not putting a number on it because there are so many factors we can't predict with any certainty," Scott said.
"The only thing I will say is that it won't be a quick run back to AFL footy. It will take some time – he's missed four years, or the best part of."
