RHYS IS THE WORD

Stanley gets the nod to lead Geelong in ruck

GEELONG has backed Rhys Stanley as its No.1 ruckman on the eve of finals.

The former Saint was last night recalled for tomorrow’s Round 23 clash with Carlton, which the Cats must win if they are to remain inside the top two.

Stanley has not played senior footy since the Round 18 loss to Hawthorn but has dominated in the VFL during the past three weeks while Mark Blicavs has single-handedly held down the role of ruckman for Geelong.

While Blicavs performed admirably, the Cats have made the call now to play a recognised ruck and send last year’s bestand-fairest to the backline, where he is in contention to earn an All-Australian guernsey.

Gary Rohan has also been named for Geelong, making his way back after two weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Rohan, pictured, replaces small forward Tom Atkins and will be a welcome addition to the forward line if he can find the form he showed in the first half of the season, where he kicked 20 goals from his first nine games.

The former Swan has kicked four goals since in eight matches, and while his work off the ball has been widely praised, the Cats will be hoping Rohan can hit the scoreboard with the same frequency he did before the bye.

Atkins had minor hand surgery on Monday but is expected to be back for the first week of finals, while Jake Kolodjashnij was left out of the side with a minor hip injury and will also be available for selection in the first week of September.

Midfield trio Sam Menegola, James Parsons and Scott Selwood were named as emergencies.