GAZ POWERED

Cats unlikely to limit Ablett’s midfield time

GEELONG is unlikely to significantly restrict Gary Ablett’s midfield time when he makes his expected return from a hamstring injury in Sunday’s clash with Collingwood.

The veteran, who has not played since Round 3, must pass two final training sessions before being given the green light to play the Pies, but that seems a mere formality.

Ablett’s return will be a sig- nificant boost to Geelong’s midfield, which tackles an inform Collingwood engine room that features Steele Sidebottom, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams and ruckman Brodie Grundy.

There is doubt over the fitness of Scott Pendlebury, who finished last night’s win on the bench with ice on his lower leg.

Ablett could have played on Friday night but has been given an extra nine days to fully recover after two hamstring setbacks this year.

Having clocked high midfield numbers in the opening three rounds, the Cats are likely to again give Ablett a prominent midfield role.

“We are all looking forward to it (having Ablett back). He’s quite positive about resuming because he has missed a bit of footy now this season,” Geelong assistant coach Matthew Knights said yesterday.

“Gary will be able to come into the midfield group and play his part. We don’t expect more than that, any more than the game time or the minutes the other mids are playing.

“We will talk about it (how he is managed) as the week goes on and decide what action and plan we have for Gary.

“But I guess these days when you’re selected in the 22, you are going to have to play up around the 70 to 80 per cent midfield time anyway.

“It’s a really important week for Gary to train well and put his name up for selection later in the week. I’m sure if he trains well during the week and has two good sessions then he gives himself a really good chance to be selected.”

Knights said Daniel Menzel was “going well” as he recovered from a groin problem.

The goalkicker had a reaction to an injection that was meant to help quell a niggling groin injury, but had the opposite effect.

“He looks a lot better today than late last week,” Knights said.

“It will come back to training with Menz this week, to see how he progresses with his training. He was having a really good season up to the point where he couldn’t play.”

Knights said he was aware of the threat Collingwood posed in the middle of the ground. But he said the Cats also had to be careful of their midfielders pushing forward and doing damage on the scoreboard.

“They’ve changed a bit as the season has gone on. Traditionally, earlier in the year, they were playing most of their mids just in the midfield,” he said.

“Recently some of their mids have been going forward and causing damage and hitting the scoreboard, whether it’s Sidebottom or Treloar.

“(Jack) Crisp started in the midfield earlier in the year and is more back now. Obviously Grundy had a great year as a ruckman and has probably been one of the in-form ruckmen in the league.

“As a collective they are a very strong, decent group.”