Blicavs facing a late test

Giants name Stevie J for must-win match

STAR Geelong utility Mark Blicavs will have to pass a final fitness test before being cleared to play against GWS at Simonds Stadium tomorrow night.

The key Cat was one of three changes made last night by coach Chris Scott before the top-two decider, with Tom Hawkins returning from suspension and first-year gun Brandan Parfitt recalled.

Rookies Sam Simpson and Zach Guthrie have been omit- ted, as has Jackson Thurlow.

Blicavs, who suffered a crack to his lower leg in Geelong’s loss to Adelaide in July, would be a significant inclusion.

The winner will secure a home final, while the loser faces a tough road trip to start their September campaign.

Scott said the Cats would give Blicavs every chance to prove his fitness.

“We need to consider whether we would bring him straight back into the team, but, mainly, that will be dependent on how his ankle is,” Scott said.

“All the signs have been good.”

The Giants added some significant potency to their forward line with Steve Johnson and Rory Lobb returning.

For Cats fans it could be the last time to farewell three-time premiership player Johnson, who will retire at the end of the Giants’ finals campaign.

Geelong has the ability to tweak its forward line, too, with Hawkins returning from a two-game striking suspension.

Harry Taylor has been named forward, but as Scott has said, that does not mean he will play there.

“I think we’ve been pretty consistent with Harry, in that there’ll be some weeks where we think he’ll be best served forward, and there’ll be other weeks where the team will need him more back,” he said.

“I’m not prepared to forecast exactly where we are with that this week, but ‘Hawk’ coming back certainly does give a bit more flexibility.

“Without question the forward line will look different this week, just by virtue of Tom being back in.” MEANWHILE, commentator Luke Darcy expects Gary Ablett to drop a retirement bombshell if he cannot secure a trade to Geelong.

Darcy said Ablett would walk away from the game if he was kept against his wishes at Gold Coast for another season, even though he is contracted there until the end of 2018.

“The Cats are up to their eyeballs in trying to do this (deal),” he former Bulldogs player said on Triple M.

“And I think Gary Ablett will walk away and not play again if they (Cats and Suns) don’t make it happen.”

Ablett was last night a late withdrawal from the Gold Coast Suns squad to play Port Adelaide after failing to overcome a hamstring injury.