GEELONG midfielder Brandan Parfitt has been ruled out of the Cats' huge home clash with reigning premier West Coast on Sunday, but rested youngster Charlie Constable is set for a recall and defender Zach Tuohy is in the frame to make his long-awaited return from injury.
Parfitt will be sidelined with a left quad injury sustained early in the Easter Monday win over Hawthorn, with Cats coach Chris Scott hopeful he might just miss one game.
Star defender Tuohy is a chance to make his first AFL appearance for the season after playing three-and-a-half quarters in the Cats' VFL game at Werribee on Saturday.
A sore Brandan Parfitt watches from the bench during the Cats' clash with the Hawks. Picture: AFL Photos
The 29-year-old Irishman, who had played 138 consecutive games before suffering a knee injury in last year's elimination final loss to Melbourne, would be a welcome addition to the top-of-the-table Cats.
WHO MAKES FINALS? Do the 2019 Ladder Predictor
Geelong's VFL team has a bye this weekend, which has added a layer of complexity to the timing of Tuohy's return.
"We haven't made that decision absolutely yet," Scott told reporters of Tuohy's possible selection before training at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday.
"It would be a little bit more of a complicated decision if we had a VFL game, but given that he played last week and got through and he's had a good training base, we'd like to think that he'll train well enough for us to play him.
"It's unfortunate that there isn't a (VFL) game but, having said that, he might come into the AFL team and play well and that will prove to be a good decision, but it just removes that conservative option for us.
"We're not in the business of playing guys that aren't ready. It's not a risk at all.
"He reckons he was ready probably five weeks ago, so his credibility is absolutely shot at the moment. So he's just going to have to back us in to make a good decision."
Constable was "managed" against the Hawks and Scott said he was likely to be brought back for the Eagles clash at GMHBA Stadium. Fellow youngster Jordan Clark would also be considered for a pre-emptive rest at some point.
With a shortened break, the Cats would also discuss giving veteran Gary Ablett a break, but Scott said the champ wasn't showing any signs of fatigue after a superb performance against the Hawks.
The Cats coach said West Coast was "pretty close to as good as it gets in terms of a test", despite the Eagles' 42-point hiding from Port Adelaide in Perth on Friday.
His formula for victory?
"Beat them in the midfield and make sure that particularly (Andrew) Gaff and Elliott (Yeo) and (Luke) Shuey don't have good days; stop their defenders intercepting all day and making it hard for us to score; make sure their small forwards don't have an influence, but be careful that you don't prioritise them over (key forwards Josh) Kennedy, (Jack) Darling and (Oscar) Allen.
"We'll just do all that stuff and we'll win."
The Cats would continue to assess their big-man balance against the tall Eagles, with Rhys Stanley and Esava Ratugolea to potentially be bolstered the inclusion of Zac Smith, Ryan Abbott or Darcy Fort.
"It's an interesting discussion for us at the moment because we feel they're all in pretty good shape ... they're all close, albeit in slightly different roles," Scott said.
