Ling, one of Geelong's three vice-captains along with Scarlett and Tom Harley, said the dual All-Australian full-back deserved to lead the Cats against the Crows in the likely absence of skipper Steven King.
King has been nursed through the pre-season due to injury while Harley is also on the sidelines.
Speaking at Skilled Stadium on Tuesday, Ling said the captain for the NAB Cup final had yet to be established.
"I'd say it'd be 'Scarlo'. We've swapped (so far). I did the first game, he did the second and I did the third, so I'd say it'd be him, but that hasn't been confirmed yet," Ling said.
"'Bomber' (Geelong coach Mark Thompson) will make a call on that, but I'd be hoping that it was 'Scarlo', (because) he certainly deserves that opportunity, so that'd be great if he could do it and hopefully he'll hold the cup up at the end of it."
But Ling said King, who has yet to feature in Geelong's pre-season campaign, remains a chance to return for the NAB Cup final and could yet lead the Cats against the Crows.
"I think he might be having a run. I don't know whether it'll be in the VFL or in the ones," Ling said.
"Obviously it's a pretty big game to be bringing him straight back in, (but) I don't know - that's up to the docs and the physio and also the way 'Bomber' wants to go.
"I know he's pretty keen to get back out and have a match before round one, but I don't know where it's going to be."
Ling said he was hopeful King would be available for the entire 2006 premiership season, but would the club's 2004 best-and-fairest like to skipper the Cats in the future?
"Not really. I'm hoping we have the sort of success we're aiming to have and 'Kingy' goes along being the captain for five, six or seven years - whatever it might be," Ling said.
"If he can captain out my whole career, I'd be rapt, because it means that we're having good success and don't need to swap over the captaincy or there's no panic or anything like that.
"Between me, 'Harls' and 'Scarlo' we'll just back him up as much as we can and support him and do the sort of leadership we do anyway.
"We're not going to change - whatever our title is - we're not going to change the way we approach our game or we approach our footy, so it'll all stay the same."
