GEELONG wound back the clock for Gary Ablett's return – his first two games seeing him average more time on ground than at any stage in his previous four seasons.

His third match saw him suffer his second right hamstring injury in six weeks against West Coast, failing to return in the final term – a strain confirmed on Tuesday.

Ablett spent 93 per cent time on ground in both matches against Melbourne and Hawthorn – more than any other midfielder in the competition – his time in attack less than any year since 2013.

WATCH: Ablett out with a hammy

While Chris Scott told Fox Footy on Monday there was no risk taking Ablett to Perth off a six-day break, the champ's load in the opening fortnight was reminiscent of yesteryear.  

The 33-year-old played longer matches compared to his younger counterparts such as Bulldog Lachie Hunter (92.8), Hawk Tom Mitchell (91.8), Blue Marc Murphy (90.8) and Bomber Dyson Heppell (90.2).

The last time Ablett played at least 93 per cent of consecutive matches came as a 30-year-old in rounds 14 and 15, 2014. 

The dual Brownlow medallist spent just nine per cent of his first two games as a forward, compared to previous years of 15.4 per cent (2017), 14.7 (2016), 25.2 (2015) and 11.2 (2014) according to Champion Data.  

Former Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade conceded it was hard to convince Ablett to play forward in his tenure. 

"He doesn't like playing forward," Eade told RSN.

"We (the Suns) were different, our midfield needed his talent and his experience.  

"It was more going forward, it was more having a rest rather than putting him on the bench, that was more the issue." 

"Whether (it was) on the back of last Monday (against Hawthorn) that there were some questions publicly about his defensive running, he seemed to run harder (against West Coast).  

"Does that add to his hamstring? There's an extra layer, he's running at a higher intensity for longer."

Involved in the same discussion with Eade, Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel added: "The midfield minutes have surprised me, I thought he'd actually be spending a lot more time forward."

Ablett failed to play a pre-season fixture after he was sent for scans following a hamstring setback on February 22 at training.  

Chris Scott has spruiked the club's conservative approach to injuries this season, taking a cautious stance on hamstrings with Patrick Dangerfield (round one) and Mitch Duncan (round three).  

As a result, it is expected Geelong will give Ablett plenty of time to recover from his latest hamstring strain as he looks to turn around his poor injury history to end recent seasons. 

Since the end of 2013, Ablett has managed one match after round 17 with a range of hamstring, shoulder and knee injuries.  

It is understood several Geelong players pulled up sore from the trip west due to the nature of the new venue's hard surface. 

Much like Sydney following the opening round, Cats players will be monitored later in the week.   

MOST TIME ON GROUND: MIDFIELDERS - R1 and R2

ABLETT'S TIME-ON-GROUND PERCENTAGE IN PAST SEASONS

* First two matches before hamstring injury
^ One game of 19 minutes before injury