Geelong senior coach Chris Scott has remained tight-lipped about how the Cats will line up for their blockbuster qualifying final against Brisbane on Friday night, but he did allude to a handful of key matchups the club will look to set up.
Geelong have been one of the healthiest clubs this season, with just one player on their injured list entering September. However, the figure could be doubled after 7 News' Mitch Cleary reported on Wednesday that ruckman Rhys Stanley is dealing with a "hamstring concern", which could see him miss the top four battle.
Stanley wasn't seen at Geelong's Thursday training session, furthering questions about his availability, but Scott wasn't willing to rule out the 2022 premiership-winning tall before teams are locked in on Thursday evening.
"This is a little bit of an unusual situation for us doing this press conference before the teams go in, so we're just going to let that play out and we'll decide," Scott told media on Thursday.
"We've got a few minor things we're still working through, but I think you know me well enough. I tend not to give a running commentary on these things. I'm sure it'll become clearer once we pick our team, but as I've said, it's been pretty stable, so it's unlikely to be too different."
Scott did note the Cats would make at least two changes to the side from their Round 24 clash against Richmond, with emerging key forward Shannon Neale returning from his one-match ban and Irish utility Mark O'Connor overcoming a "very minor leg" concern.
"Neale was suspension, so it's logical he would come back in," Scott said.
"O'Connor had a very minor leg [concern], we were not all that specific there. He was borderline to play was the feedback, so certainly with the week off, he's had a really good fortnight of training and he'll be right."
However, Geelong's selection panel will have plenty to weigh up, with O'Connor's Round 24 replacement, Jed Bews, having a strong history of containing Lions' livewire Charlie Cameron in previous encounters.
"Yeah, definitely [we'll consider Bews]," Scott said.
"But for a long, long time now, [Brisbane] have been a team that have got deep weapons in their arsenal. Even Zac Bailey is an All-Australian now. As highly as everyone rates Charlie Cameron and Lachie Neale, it's almost the stage where some of the guys playing next to them are as important to them, which speaks to their depth."
Scott highlighted Geelong's depth too, however, mentioning that several players are knocking on the door for a call-up into the senior side for September action if needed, including forward Ollie Henry, who has kicked eight goals in his last four VFL matches.
"Ollie Henry will certainly be in our squad. I don't think last year's prelim has come into our thinking all that much, but he has had a couple of really good weeks on the track, looking energetic," Scott said.
"We've got a few players in particular that we're very confident could come in and play well for us, even though they haven't had much match practice over the last couple of weeks. [Henry] certainly fits into that category."
