Geelong coach Chris Scott says it is "likely" that star forward Jeremy Cameron will play against the Swans on Friday night, after suffering a hip pointer injury against the Bombers.
Cameron clashed with Essendon defender Jayden Laverde in the first quarter of Geelong's 66-point demolition of the Bombers last Saturday.
The spearhead was subbed out and concerns arose about internal damage, resulting in Cameron being taken to hospital from the ground for precautionary scans.
After being cleared of serious damage, Scott declared Cameron as a possibility to line up for the Cats barring any setbacks.
"The next 48 hours are going to tell a lot but we certainly haven't ruled him out," Scott told geelongcats.com.au.
"Once he was cleared of what was really precautionary scans, it was just the contact issue he needed to recover from"
"If he plays, it's because we're sure that he's right to play".
The Cats coach also confirmed that star midfielder Mitch Duncan and small defender Jed Bews will make their season debuts against the Swans.
Duncan played through three quarters in a VFL practice match last week after recovering from a calf injury that hampered his preseason and will bolster the already experienced midfield.
Bews will likely replace tall defender Sam De Koning in the backline after the key back suffered a concussion against the Bombers. The 28-year-old also suffered a concussion against the Suns in the preseason but has been cleared following the 12-day layoff period.
This change likely means the Cats go into the game with a small backline, with Sydney's forecast expecting rain.
New recruit Jonathon Ceglar (knee), Irishman Mark O'Connor (knee) and small forward Gryan Miers (ankle) all appear set to make their returns through the VFL, along with wingman Sam Menegola.
Scott also commented on Sam Simpson, who is recovering from a concussion.
"He seemed to be okay but didn't recover as quickly as some others," Scott said.
"The good news is he's back on the track and he's training"
"If he has any minor setback, we're going to hold him back even more."
Scott also flagged Cooper Stephens as not being too far away from making his long-awaited debut in the coming weeks, with the third-year midfielder having his first few seasons hampered by injury and the lack of VFL.
Following the news of more players in the COVID protocol, Scott and the Cats confirmed the club was all clear of cases at the moment.
The Cats will play the Swans on Friday night at the SCG with both sides coming off solid wins in Round 1.
