Geelong has confidence that Shannon Neale will be available for the Opening Round next Friday despite exiting the field on Wednesday night with a leg injury.
In a ruck contest, Neale's knee collided with Carlton Marc Pittonet, which was a prime example of how the adaptations have altered how big men attack the ball-up.
Cats assistant James Kelly provided an update on the key forward after the 15-point loss.
"No concerns. We expect him to be fine," Kelly said afterwards.
"He got a bit of a knock on his shin. He's a bit unlucky. There's probably about 10cm that isn't covered by the shin guard, and he got the knock just above that.
"He's an important player for us, so we took him straight off. He was obviously sore, but it was just a knock on the shin.
"Not at this stage (are we concerned by the knee), it was just a knock."
In the absence of Rhys Stanley, Geelong utilised a quartet of options in the ruck, headed by youngster Mitchell Edwards.
Mark Blicavs and Sam De Koning also spent time in there.
Questions over Neale's use in the ball-up have come for the Cats, especially since Jeremy Cameron (quad) is in a race to be fit for Opening Round.
Kelly says that AFL clubs might rethink who they put into the ball-up going forward.
"How you deploy your athletic guys is always a question across the AFL," he said.
"I know that there are teams that don't like to put key forwards in there. We're generally not one of those. The flexibility within our team is something we value.
"I can't speak for other teams, but I think for us, we value the flexibility, and we like having guys in there that can jump and can run. But I'm sure some teams will certainly think about it."
The Cats have a host of injury troubles, with Cameron in a race to be fit for the Opening Round after suffering a quad strain.
Bailey Smith (calf) is expected to be available, while Gryan Miers (thumb) is unlikely to face the Suns.
If Neale pulls up lame from the knee injury, and Cameron misses the Gold Coast clash, it would be the first time Geelong haven't had a genuine key forward since before the latter joined the Kardinia Park club from GWS.
Neale was the lone wolf in Round 24, 2023, against the Western Bulldogs.
Get set for the footy with the FREE Zero Hanger 2026 AFL Season Guide! Packed with 150+ pages of player profiles, team previews, insights and analysis, the 2026 AFL Season Guide is built for fans who want the full picture. Download your free Season Guide HERE.
