Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield has put a solid block of training together in a bid to return to the senior side, but coach Chris Scott didn't leave Cats fans with confidence that he'll play in Gather Round.
Dangerfield has been sidelined with a calf injury, but despite ticking a lot of boxes, could be held over for the trip to Adelaide to face West Coast, instead prepare for the short turnaround against the Western Bulldogs in Round 6.
"I hesitate to say, 'Yes, he could play, but we're choosing not to' - it's not as simple as that," Scott said following the one-point loss to Hawthorn.
"But I think we can give you some comfort that he's put some good training together and if there's a battle between, 'Is he right to play, or should we invest a little bit more in sort of later on in the season?' - that battle is winning a little bit at the moment.
"But he's going well. Certainly come and ask me the question, 'What the hell's going on?' if he doesn't play in the next couple of weeks."
Fellow superstar Jeremy Cameron has also been quizzed on his dip in form after a relatively sluggish start to the season compared to the lofty standards he's set.
Cameron endured an interrupted pre-season due to a quad complaint and a broken arm in last year's decider against Brisbane.
On Monday, the 2025 Coleman Medallist failed to make a meaningful impact on the contest, kicking one goal from five shots but spending most of his time further up the ground.
Scott revealed Cameron copped a heavy knock to his body that could have impeded his performance.
"Not in form, he got a knock in this game," Scott said.
"So I'm not exactly sure what the feedback is on that. He's obviously okay to keep going.
"I thought he was influential up the ground. I always think he's important for us and he's one of those players, when his impact is not as obvious with ball in hand, he's a challenge for the opposition.
"That would be my assessment that he doesn't need to dominate for us to be important. It was a deliberate decision for us to have him up the ground."
