Shannon Byrnes was left on the sidelines as the Cats recorded a 63-point win over the Brisbane Lions at Skilled Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and Thompson said supporters should expect more of the same over the next month.
“We will do what we have done in most years - guys who are close or have some form of injury we will just err on the side of caution,” Thompson said.
“There are a couple who played today who I thought we probably should have done that to but we didn’t. We did it with Shannon Byrnes today and we might probably do it with a few more.”
The Cats have a daunting three weeks ahead, with matches against the Sydney Swans along with top-four rivals Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs. Thompson said keeping players fresh was crucial to the side's chances of a third premiership in four years.
“It’s just general fatigue ... it’s about how much risk you want to take. Three years ago, we put every player on the ground who we thought would help us win on that day,” he said.
“Now we try and nip it in the bud, we take less risks and try and fix them up quicker so that they can play better in a hurry.”
Stung by the 11-point loss to Adelaide in round 16 which saw the Cats drop to second on the ladder, Thompson said Saturday's performance indicated the side wasn’t far away from its best.
“I think we were more consistent with our attack on the ball and we won the contested ball, which it would be the number one KPI (key performance indicator) at every club," Thompson said. "We slipped down over the last month.”
After the three weeks on the sidelines, a five-goal haul from Steve Johnson was another shining light in the win, and Thompson conceded the enforced break may have been a blessing in disguise.
“In retrospect, the three weeks might be the best thing that has happened to him.
"He looked like he had a lot of energy ... it was great that he played."
The Cats face the Swans next Saturday night at ANZ Stadium, with forgotten key forward Tom Hawkins a chance to return to the senior side.
