Coach salivates at the possibilities for his rolled gold midfield
GEELONG coach Chris Scott says there might be some “teething problems” as the Cats’ injury-free, star-studded midfield starts to build cohesion.
The Cats will run with an engine room featuring all of Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan and rookie sensation Tim Kelly for the first time since Round 1 in tomorrow's blockbuster with Collingwood at the MCG.
Throw in the likes of Sam Menegola and Scott Selwood and the Cats are suddenly blessed for choice in the middle, even with Cam Guthrie (ankle) still missing.
Ablett returns against the Pies after suffering a hamstring injury in the Round 3 loss to West Coast.
Scott said he was looking forward to seeing his starstudded midfield find its mojo over coming weeks, starting with Collingwood tomorrow.
“That’s an opportunity, but it’s also a challenge in terms of building that cohesion,” he said.
“I suspect there will be some teething problems with that.
“But for a long time we’ve been searching for a deep midfield, so you won’t hear me complain too strongly that we’ve got too many players and not enough positions.”
Scott said it was “exciting” to have Ablett back, even if it was a week later than it could have been.
The Cats took an ultracautious approach to Ablett’s recovery, ruling him out of last week’s clash with GWS despite all the indicators suggesting he was fit to play.
“I suspect that we made a bit of an error in that he could have played a little bit earlier,” he said.
“We were always comfortable that if that was where we erred, it would be better than the other way (and risk injury).
“He is a bit limited in terms of the footy he has played in the past 12 months, maybe longer. We are really, really confident long-term that he is going to be a valuable player for us.
“In the short term, we have got to be careful we don’t put our expectations up too high.
“His fundamental objective at the moment is to fit within the team, find his place and build some cohesion and contribute.”