Geelong won't risk key defender Sam De Koning in Round 22 when the Cats face Fremantle in Perth.
De Koning went down with a worrying knee injury in last Saturday's close win over Adelaide, with initial fears believing the premiership Cat might miss the rest of the season.
The club confirmed the 23-year-old would need to be assessed through the week before a call was made on his chances to make the trip to Western Australia, however a call has been made not to include De Koning in the squad.
Geelong coach Chris Scott is hopeful De Koning will be fit next week for the Cats' clash with St Kilda as the Kardinia Park club looks to take a healthy list into the final fortnight of the season.
Veteran pair Gary Rohan (concussion) and Mitch Duncan (management) are likely to come into the side this week to face Fremantle, who could usurp the Cats on the ladder with a win at Optus Stadium.
"We won't take him. He's going pretty well and we think he's very likely to play next week with good preparation," Scott said of De Koning.
"So we're just going to take the bird in the hand there.
"We've got the cliche 'good problem' with selection at the moment with good availability. De Koning going out is annoying for us but other than that we've got some guys coming back that are available into what we think is a pretty strong team.
"We're just going to have to think through that a little bit more."
Rohan's return could squeeze one of Shannon Neale or Ollie Henry out of the forward line, however the Cats went for a tall attack in the weeks prior to his head knock.
Geelong could be boosted by a potential late-season return from retiring games record holder Tom Hawkins, who has been dealing with a foot injury, while Cam Guthrie's return timeframe is unclear as he continues to nurse an Achilles complaint.
Irishman Mark O'Connor will miss up to two weeks of action with a knee issue as the only other Cats player eyeing a comeback amid the club's premiership pursuit.
