CAT CLOSE TO COMEBACK
COULD AFTER MONTHS ON SIDELINES NURSING A BROKEN ANKLE, RATUGOLEA COULD BE BACK IN A WEEK!
LIVEWIRE tall forward Esava Ratugolea could be just a week off returning from a broken ankle in what would be a much-needed boost to Geelong coach Chris Scott’s side.
The 20-year-old “looks ready to play”, Scott said yesterday, with a comeback through the VFL next week scheduled for Ratugolea. “That’s the plan,” Scott said. “It’s a pretty loose plan and subject to change, but I’m watching him, he looks ready to play now to my eye.
“But we should be careful there and make sure that preparation is really solid.
“The last thing we want to do is rush him back, especially given our VFL team do have a game in the pre-finals bye that we’ve got up our sleeve as well.”
Ratugolea hasn’t played since suffering the injury in the Cats’ Round 10 win over Carlton.
Harry Taylor looks set to play a second tall-forward role alongside Tom Hawkins tomorrow after being named to take on Fremantle.
Taylor had two kicks, six handballs, two marks, four tackles and a goal in last Saturday night’s VFL win over Essendon in wet conditions, playing as Geelong’s deepest key forward alongside Wylie Buzza.
The 32-year-old has not played an AFL game since injuring a tendon in his foot against Sydney on July 5. But Scott said Taylor was feeling the best he had felt this year.
“He’s obviously struggled. Even when he played, he was struggling a little with some foot soreness, which is very common for plantar fascia issues,” Scott said.
“And then his re-injury — if you can call that, it was a tendon in his foot that was unrelated — has made it a little bit more difficult for him.
“He’s missed some footy, but he hasn’t missed much fit- ness work. He feels as if he’s training and playing with less pain than he has all year.”
Whether Taylor will line up forward or in defence, however, remains fluid.
“I’m not comfortable elaborating on what we’re thinking with Harry at the moment, but we’re considering him when it comes to selection,” Scott said.
Stewart Crameri (groin) and Lincoln McCarthy (hamstring) will most likely return through the VFL next week.