Geelong are confident young defender Sam De Koning will be cleared to face West Coast on Sunday after working through the AFL's concussion protocols.
The 22-year-old was subbed out of the Cats' Round 3 loss to the Gold Coast Suns following a head knock, with the required 12-day period of recovery forcing the promising backman out of Chris Scott's plans for Easter Monday.
Now turning their attention to Gather Round, where Geelong and West Coast will go head-to-head at Adelaide Oval, the Cats have been pleased with De Koning's recovery, holding the expectation the premiership defender will be fit in time for the Round 5 encounter.
"Sam's had a really good couple of training sessions late last week and our expectation is that Sam will be available to play, but again, we need to get the final tick off from our chief medical officer," Cats football boss Simon Lloyd said in a club injury update.
With West Coast home to tall forward pair Oscar Allen and Jack Darling, De Koning is set to be a key addition to Scott's side, who are looking to claim their second successive win after a 0-3 start to the season.
The Cats will be forced into at least one change for this week's matchup, with small defender Jed Bews sidelined with his own concussion concerns.
Bews' evening against Hawthorn on Monday was brought to an abrupt end after a collision with Hawk Conor Nash, with the gritty backman set to spend the next fortnight in recovery.
"Jed's obviously entered the concussion protocols, so that will be a gradual return over the next 12-14 days," Lloyd said.
"Jed's in good spirits at the moment, and we're guided by our medical team in that space."
Bews will be needing to prove his fitness for Round 6 too, with Geelong's clash against Sydney coming 12 days after their win over the Hawks.
Fellow defender Jack Henry is set to increase his workload over the coming weeks as he recovers from a foot injury sustained in the pre-season, while uncapped ruckman Toby Conway is in a similar position with a foot injury of his own.
Should forward Gary Rohan fail to overturn his one-game suspension for a dangerous tackle at the AFL Tribunal on Thursday afternoon, Geelong will be required to make a second change alongside Bews' omission.
The Cats will host the Eagles at Adelaide Oval at 1:10pm (AEST) on Sunday.
