Geelong defender Tom Lonergan believes Cats captain Joel Selwood will have an impact during the 2017 finals series, but admits it may not come against Richmond.
Selwood required surgery on his ankle following the round 20 loss to Sydney at Simonds Stadium, and hasn't featured for the Geelong since that night.
With the pre-finals bye giving Selwood an extra week to recover, some suggested he could return for Geelong's qualifying final against Richmond, but Lonergan believes he's less than likely to play next Friday night.
“He’s going along pretty well, but we’re not too sure if he’ll get back for the first final,” Lonergan told SEN Breakfast on Tuesday morning.
“I think he’ll be a bit later on in the finals, if we get that far.
"He’s doing all the right things and he’ll be ensuring that he’s back at some stage.”
Loergan's comments come less than a week after Selwood conceded he was "touch and go" for the Cats' first final.
"It's a touch and go thing from here," Selwood told SEN last Friday.
"We'll have some sessions where we go really well and I'm sure I'll have a hiccup along the way at some stage but I don't plan on it putting me back too far."
2017 will be the final year for both Lonergan and fellow defender Andrew Mackie, as the two veterans announced their retirements following Saturday night's win against GWS.
The pair have won four premierships between them, with Lonergan playing 207 games for Geelong, while Mackie has 277 games to his name.
