Selwood may still play GWS

HE was knocked out in the first minute yesterday, but Geelong is not ruling captain Joel Selwood out of next Saturday night’s blockbuster clash with GWS.

But the news is not as good for promising defender Tom Stewart, who was taken to hospital with a serious facial fracture suffered midway through yesterday’s thrilling two-point victory over Fremantle.

Selwood was knocked out cold in a head clash with Dockers veteran Hayden Ballantyne in the opening minute and took no further part in the game.

The Cats were reduced to just one man on the bench in the second half, with Selwood and Stewart joined by forward Darcy Lang (ankle) early in the third quarter.

Play was stopped for several minutes in the first quarter as medical staff attended to Selwood. A stretcher was called but the inspirational skipper wanted to walk off and even ended up jogging from the ground.

“I wasn’t surprised to see him run off,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said. “I think that was probably a message to our medical staff, the fans and probably the coaching box a little bit as well.

“He was up and about really, really quickly, he was talking to me about the way the game was going, which is a good sign. He certainly wasn’t in such a state that he couldn’t speak to his teammates and coaches.”

Scott said a call wouldn’t be made on Selwood’s availability to take on ladder-leader GWS in Sydney until later in the week. “It will take five days for the doctors to come to us and say we have worked through the process,” he said.

“We’ll just have to cool our jets for five or six days and accept whatever direction the medical staff give us.”

Stewart faces an extended stint on the sidelines.