PREMIERSHIP hero Brad Ottens sent a scare through the Geelong camp when he rolled an ankle in a VFL practice match against Coburg Tigers at Skilled Stadium on Thursday.

Ottens left the field immediately after contesting the opening bounce of the second term, but assistant coach Ken Hinkley insisted the injury was not a major concern.

"It’s a slight ankle, nothing much,” he said.

“All should be right. We had a look at him and he could have come back [onto the field].”

Ottens, who had off-season groin surgery, played just one NAB Cup game and the club was keen to get game time into the 28-year-old before round one.

Geelong begins its premiership defence with a Grand Final rematch against Port Adelaide on Easter Thursday in Adelaide.

Hinkley said Ottens had only been scheduled to play half of the match. He was one of four premiership players, along with Gary Ablett, Joel Selwood and Matthew Scarlett, to play in the hot conditions.

“He was only going to play the first half and we decided it was just not worth [the risk] and we want him right for next week,” Hinkley said.

Scarlett, Selwood and Ablett all got through the game unscathed and with valuable game time under their belts.

Selwood was the star with 22 possessions and nine marks in a four-goal win.

Last year’s NAB AFL Rising Star winner has been nursed slowly through pre-season after undergoing calf surgery for compartment syndrome in November.

Scarlett, who had three touches playing at full back, was playing his second game of the pre-season after having arthroscopic knee surgery, while Ablett needed game time after missing two weeks with a calf strain suffered in the Cats’ NAB Cup opener against Melbourne.

Both Scarlett and Ablett played in last week’s NAB challenge match against Richmond.

Hinkley said Scarlett, Selwood and Ablett would be improved enormously by the match.

“They all got through and did exactly what we wanted them to do,” he said.

“It was pretty tough conditions heat-wise and with the limited game time, but the end result was we wanted to play them to get them ready for round one.

“Given the fact it’s been over 30 [degrees] for the last, however many days in Adelaide, it might have been a good conditioning run.”

With the mercury reaching 34 degrees, VFL coach Leigh Tudor rotated the star trio all game before resting them for much of the last term.

Others to impress for the Cats included Travis Varcoe and rookie listed players Liam Bedford and Brodie Moles.

Richmond assistant coaches David King and Brian Royal were on hand to watch Luke McGuane, Daniel Connors and boom draftee Alex Rance.

McGuane starred at centre-half back while Connors knocked up possessions playing across half forward.

Richmond opens its season on Easter Thursday against Carlton at the MCG.