Guthrie back, and on the ball
GEELONG will let Cam Guthrie loose in the midfield tomorrow when he makes his return from a calf injury via the VFL.
Guthrie will be thrown straight into the midfield against the Northern Blues after finally overcoming a calf complaint that popped up late in the pre-season.
The Cats are keen to see how he performs as a predominant midfielder, having played varying roles in recent years including as a rebounding defender.
“He will play majority, I think, onball,” Geelong AFL assistant coach Matthew Scarlett said yesterday.
“He’s trained as an onballer for the majority of the pre-season. Obviously we know he can play down back as well, he does that really well, but he will be an inside mid.
“Especially with the centrebounce rules — his fast feet and his explosiveness to get away from the stoppage — he’ll spend big parts of that game as an onballer, and then probably when he needs a bit of a chop out he’ll maybe go to half back.”
Guthrie had been close to playing in recent weeks but failed to clear the final hurdle needed to be declared fit, leading to a comeback through the VFL.
“It shouldn’t take him too long to get back into it, he’s right to go, which is good news, it gives us a little bit more depth,” Scarlett said.
“Hopefully he gets through and plays well and he’s back in the senior team pretty soon.”
Geelong draftee Ben Jarvis will also step out for the first time this season for the Cats.
The 48th pick in last year’s draft, the Cats have described Jarvis as an “aggressive forward who presents well on the lead”.
At 189cm and 82kg, he will be keen to standout in a forward line that is juggling an oversupply of resting ruckmen including Wylie Buzza, Ryan Abbott, Darcy Fort and Zac Smith.
Local players Jackson McLachlan, Luke Smith and James Gow are among other inclusions. Tomorrow’s match starts at 1pm.