Geelong is still adamant that star recruit Gary Ablett will play in round one despite succumbing to a hamstring strain that will see him miss the Geelong's first pre-season game.
Scans have revealed that Ablett has a minor hamstring strain after he felt tightness in Geelong’s match simulation at training on Thursday after he jumped for a mark.
Ablett will not play in Townsville on Sunday in Geelong's opening pre-season game against the Suns, however he is still a chance to front up against the Bombers in their second JLT Community Series game on March 11.
It is understood that Ablett was never in line to play against Gold Coast anyway.
Football boss Sam Lloyd says the club is still adamant that he will be a definite starter against Melbourne, which is still a month away.
“The medicos think it’s minor, so because of the volume of work he’s done over the summer, we’ll take a conservative approach with him leading into round one,” Geelong football boss Simon Lloyd told The Australian.
At 33, coming off an injury interrupted season that saw Ablett miss six games with a hamstring injury, this is definitely not the scenario and predicament that would excite any Geelong fan.