Despite missing the weekend's JLT game against Gold Coast, Geelong is confident that young live-wire, Nakia Cockatoo will be ready to take on the Demons in round one.
The explosive forward suffered a minor calf injury at training a fortnight ago and is slowly building towards the first game of the season.
"Nakia was running freely today [in Geelong]," Simon Lloyd, Cats Football Manager, told K Rock on Sunday.
'He wasn't involved in [full] training today, but he was actually doing a lot of high speed running and moving well."
The young Cat has had a long history with soft tissue injuries throughout his career, injuring his hamstring on three different occasions in 2017, limiting him to just 11 games.
Star recruit Gary Ablett is still on track for a round one birth, despite his minor hamstring injury.
"He's basically training alternate days and he did six or seven kilometres [Sunday] and reached some high speed with his running. It was just very minor but we're doing everything we can to get him right...there isn't much to worry about."
After suffering a 56-point defeat at the hands of the Suns, the Cats are expected to welcome back star midfielders, Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield, as well as Harry Taylor, for their last hit out against Essendon next week in Colac.
"It's whether or not we've got Gary ready for round one through that [training] or whether we need to expose him in Colac."
