Geelong have ruled young ruckman Toby Conway out for the remainder of the 2024 season, with the young Cats tall to undergo surgery on his foot.
Conway has been hampered by a navicular stress fracture in the second half of this season which has kept him off the field and in rehabilitation for an extended period already.
The Cats have decided to have the third-year ruckman go under the knife to best prepare him for the 2025 season, with surgery now expected to have the 206cm talent ready for a full pre-season ahead of next year.
โToby's situation is unfortunate, he has displayed promising development this year in both the AFL and VFL," Assistant General Manager of Football Brett Johnson said in a club update.
"Our approach will be conservative, allowing sufficient time for his foot to heal properly. We anticipate Toby will make a strong return in 2025.โ
The Cats aren't ruling out veteran midfielder Cam Guthrie from returning from his ongoing Achilles issue, with the premiership Cat's training loads to be ramped up over the coming weeks.
Guthrie could be back in Chris Scott's side within the month, and could potentially play a key role in the club's expected finals run.
โWe have continued to monitor Cam's recovery from the Achilles flare-up, and all going well he will continue to build up his training loads, and we expect to see him back available for selection in a few weeks' time,โ Johnson said of the onballer.
Midfielder Tanner Bruhn is in the frame to face the Western Bulldogs this weekend as he eyes a return from a shoulder injury.
The young midfielder will need to prove his fitness in the coming days, while young ruck-forward Shannon Neale has been cleared of any damage to his throat after copping a knock in last Friday's win over Collingwood.
Veteran forward Tom Hawkins is up to five weeks away following his recent foot injury, while first-year pair Oli Wiltshire (pelvis) and Mitch Edwards (back) remain sidelined.
Geelong host the Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 pm (AEST).
