"IT WAS almost impossibly difficult.

"I mean, it makes no sense (to leave Brandan Parfitt out). If you had have asked me 10 weeks ago, I would have said he is one of our best players. I've said it through the year, our team is rarely if ever a referendum on what we think our best team is into the future it is just in any given moment we have a set of priorities. One of the quirks of our game is you need role players and you need a certain mix. Sometimes a better player misses out because a role is not quite there for him. We stressed during the week, this is the time we picked for this week, and then we'll start fresh and look at it again in two weeks' time."

That was the last comment Chris Scott made before concluding his press conference half an hour after Geelong defeated Collingwood in the qualifying final, before driving back down the highway to prepare for his eighth preliminary final in charge of the Cats.

With the thrilling six-point win over the Magpies, Geelong won in the first week of the finals for the first time since it beat Hawthorn by two points in 2016 – and only the second time in its past 10 attempts – to make it 14 straight wins. 

While Collingwood and Sydney look fairly settled in terms of selection this weekend, it is the Cats who have plenty of decisions to make at match committee on Thursday, despite not losing since May. 

Scott hasn't spoken on the record since leaving the MCG, earning a week off from press conference duty after Geelong earned the week off. But now attention will turn to who the Cats pick for Friday night's preliminary final against Brisbane. 

Parfitt was widely considered the most unlikely player not to be picked in the first week of September, after he was left out of the 23 despite collecting 28 touches in each of the final two games of the home and away season. 

The 24-year-old missed six weeks after breaking his hand in round 12 but has been an integral part of Geelong's midfield in recent years and will be a name debated internally this week. 

Sam Menegola has endured a frustrating season on the injury front, following off-season knee surgery, concussion and ongoing soreness. 

The West Australian didn't play a senior game before round 14 and has only played seven this year, but he was included in the squad against Collingwood and has plenty of finals experience – 16 of his 116 games have been finals. 

The ruck situation at GMHBA Stadium continues to be a major talking point, much like it has been for much of Scott's time at the helm. 

Rhys Stanley has played 18 games this season but the Cats moved Mark Blicavs into the ruck late in the qualifying final against Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox. 

Jon Ceglar has only played two games for Geelong – he was the unused medi-sub on another occasion – since crossing from Hawthorn but was included in the squad against the Magpies and will be considered despite missing so much football in 2022. 

The 31-year-old underwent foot surgery at the start of the year and then knee surgery after his first game in the VFL for Geelong, eventually breaking into the senior side in round 20. 

Geelong is confident Jake Kolodjashnij will be available to face the Lions after being substituted out of the qualifying final due to a knee injury. 

The defender trained away from the main group on Monday – along with Jeremy Cameron who was sick last week but certain he will be there on Friday night – after escaping a serious knee injury, but will need to prove his fitness later in the week before he is cleared to play. 

Mark O'Connor was left out of the 22 for the first final but ended up playing 52 per cent of the game after replacing Kolodjashnij just before half-time. 

MEDICAL ROOM Check out the full injury list

The Irishman hasn't been used as a full-time tagger in 2022, but performed a brilliant role on Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale last year. 

O'Connor held Neale to just 16 disposals when Brisbane came down to Geelong in March last year and might be considered for a similar role if the Cats look to curtail the influence of the man who could have a second Brownlow Medal by the end of the weekend. 

If there was one week worth being the fly on the wall at match committee inside GMHBA Stadium, this is the week.