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Geelong taking cautious approach as injury list increases

There will be a big watch on five Cats players ahead of their finals opener.

Published by
Mitch Keating

Geelong coach Chris Scott is hopeful his club's list of injured stars won't be compounded for their home qualifying final, despite a string of worrying issues from their win over West Coast.

The Cats were already without senior duo Jeremy Cameron (hamstring) and Mitch Duncan (hip) for Saturday's 85-point thrashing over the Eagles, while Sam Menegola was a late withdrawal due to soreness.

Their worries were only intensified in their final match of the regular season, with midfielder Cam Guthrie (shoulder) and defender Jake Kolodjashnij (concussion) unable to finish the game.

The latter is set to enter concussion protocols for the second time in as many months, with the pre-finals bye likely to buoy his chances of playing in a fortnight's time.

Guthrie suffered a worrisome blow to the shoulder in the second quarter and joined Kolodjashnij on the sidelines.

The pair of setbacks haven't left their senior coach worried for their finals opener however, with Guthrie and Kolodjashnij expected to remain in the selection frame.

"He got a knock on his shoulder," Scott said of Guthrie post-game.

"He ran into Paddy Dangerfield, which is not a great idea. They (the medical team) said he was fine, he could go back on, but we just didn't think he needed to. So he was fine.

"Kolodjashnij has concussion, obviously, so (he was) in the protocol. If there's ever a good time to be concussed, it's when you've got a bye the next week," Scott said.

"Besides that, I think we got through okay."

Scott also revealed Menegola's late inclusion wasn't a major worry either, while both Cameron and Duncan will continue to be assessed across the next two weeks.

Results on Sunday are set to confirm the Cats' finals opponent for week one of the post-season, with Collingwood, Fremantle and Sydney in the mix.

Published by
Mitch Keating