While some might see it as vital to get game time into the likes of skipper Tom Harley (knee), defender David Wojcinski (achilles) and emerging forward Tom Hawkins (foot) ahead of the season proper, the Cats won’t play the injured trio for the sake of building match fitness.
Football manager Neil Balme said all three were progressing well but playing games wasn’t crucial.
“This time of the year you’ve got to look after them,” Balme said after Tuesday’s training in blistering heat at Skilled Stadium.
“Blokes want to play every time you turn out but the reality is they shouldn’t and we shouldn’t try to [play them].
“Round one, which everyone thinks is such an important round, they want to put some footy into themselves, and the truth is that’s probably not that significant either because it’s such a long season.”
Harley, Hawkins and Wojcinski were again in the rehab group during Tuesday’s session. They were joined mainly by youngsters, including draftee Steven Motlop, while Steve Johnson, as he often does due to past chronic ankle problems, was also doing the bulk of his work inside.
But it is the recovering trio that remain the Cats’ main injury concerns ahead of their 2009 campaign, although Balme says Geelong fans shouldn’t be sweating too much.
“Obviously Tommy Harley’s had a little bit of that tendonitis for probably a fair while now ... he might be a little slower starting than he’d like but I’m sure he’ll be fine.
“He just probably hasn’t done the bulk of running that he needs to but we’ve got to control it. It’s a long season and, to make a long story short, he won’t be playing in the early games. But he’ll certainly play some sort of pre-season.”
Hawkins’ injury is more delicate. Knowing just how fragile a navicular bone can be through their experience with Matthew Egan, the Cats won’t push the exciting youngster.
“Really, it’s more looking after him when you get a sore spot like a navicular”, Balme said.
“It wasn’t a bad thing but it’s certainly something that you’ve got to be very, very careful of and particularly with a bloke of his size and power. But we’re pretty happy with the way that he’s going.”
Balme said the club was making the most of the summer to rest Wojcinski’s troublesome achilles, the injury that ruined much of his 2008 season.
Geelong plays its NAB Cup opener against Adelaide on February 21 and, while unlikely to be at full strength, the dominant team of the past two seasons will attack the match with its usual gusto.
“I think Mark’s often said every time we turn out or every time we play we play as well as we can,” Balme said.
“It’s not quite the same as a finals game … but certainly our blokes are really serious every time they play. They want to play our game properly, they want to be as good as they can be, they’re playing against the opposition so they give it everything.
“I mean whether you set yourself to win the NAB Cup’s another thing but I think everyone would like to win it.
“I think it’s got some real advantages to keep winning but it’s probably not quite the priority it is in the [home and away] games.”
