GEELONG is in as good a shape as it could hope to be heading into the qualifying final in a fortnight's time, according to Cats coach Chris Scott.
After thumping Melbourne by 111 points at Simonds Stadium on Saturday, the Cats secured a top-two finish and a home final.
They now will await the round's results to find out their opponent in week one of the finals.
"We're prepared. We think we have got a good plan to have our guys in good shape," Scott said.
He said defenders Jake Kolodjashnij (corked calf), Andrew Mackie (hamstring tightness) and Jed Bews (adductor) all spent time on the bench in the final quarter as a precaution.
The Cats also expect Scott Selwood, who withdrew on Friday due to hamstring tightness, to be available in a fortnight, where he could receive a shutdown job depending on who Geelong plays.
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Lachie Henderson remains in doubt but has not yet been ruled out.
Scott said it was pleasing for the club to finish in the top two but they were prepared to enter the finals series from anywhere and have a crack at the flag.
"We didn't put a hell of a lot of thought into where we were going to finish," Scott said.
"It was more about playing our best footy and putting ourselves in a position where we can win a few weeks in a row."
The Cats are in scintillating form today. #AFLCatsDees https://t.co/PhPSh69q7e
— AFL (@AFL) August 27, 2016
The Cats built themselves up for the clash with Melbourne by reflecting on the injury veteran defender Tom Lonergan suffered 10 years earlier when he went back into a pack, coincidentally against the Demons.
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Lonergan lost a kidney and was close to death in a Geelong hospital in the days that followed as he lost blood.
However, not only has he recovered, he has since played 178 games including a flag and spent the week campaigning for organ and tissue donations through the Zaidee's Rainbow Foundation.
"[We] spoke about internally about it this week. Some of our younger players would not know too much about that situation and it was really quite emotional," Scott said.
With the week behind him, Lonergan is in the fight for a second flag, along with a Cats team that is used to being alive at the pointy end of the season.
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But Scott knows better than most how true it is that nothing is certain.
"You do need a little bit of luck in this competitive environment," Scott said.