Injury crisis easing
3:33:54 PM Wed 13 July, 2005
Paul Gough
Sportal for afl.com.au
The injury crisis at Geelong appears to have passed with the Cats expected to regain several stars for Saturday's crunch game against Port Adelaide at Skilled Stadium.
The Cats had more than a dozen players out injured last week and were forced to make three late changes just before their nine-goal loss to Sydney while several players also went into that game suffering from flu.
So bad was the Cats' injury situation that the club's VFL side featured just four senior listed Geelong players so it was little wonder that Geelong coach Mark Thompson was a relieved man on Wednesday night as he pondered the return of up to half a dozen key players.
"Last week was a disaster, to be honest," he said.
"We only had 24 vying for a game and three others had flu during the game."
But Thompson said the Cats were expected to welcome back two of their late withdrawals from last week in Cameron Ling (flu) and Jared Rooke (thigh) as well as David Johnson (hamstring), Henry Playfair (jaw) and Andrew Mackie (leg).
"It will be good to have a few fit players back this week and we should get a few more back next week as well," he said.
And skipper Steven King, who was a late withdrawal last week with a calf injury, is also a chance to return.
"He is a pretty reasonable chance to play and if he gets through training he will play," Thompson said of his skipper.
However Brad Ottens is still at least another week away with Thompson denying the former Tiger was suffering from the dreaded osteitis pubis groin condition.
"He has had a muscle tear which has put pressure on that area but it's not full blown osteitis," Thompson said.
Thompson said key forward Steve Johnson, who has missed much of the season with ankle problems, would also return this week but would resume via the VFL.
Despite the Cats' injury problems, Thompson was disappointed with last week's nine goal loss to Sydney - particularly the second term when they conceded nine goals to two.
"It doesn't matter where your team is at, you can't afford to allow a team to kick nine goals in one quarter," he said.
And although the Cats are still third, despite four losses in their past six games, they are just one and a half games in front of 10th-placed Port so there is no room for error on Saturday.
"It is a very important game for us," Thompson said.
"We are at nine wins and six losses at the moment so we are a chance to get to 10-6 or drop to 9-7 but obviously some of those other teams that are on 9-6 at the moment (Sydney, Kangaroos and Melbourne) are going to win so we have to win to stay where we are on the ladder at the moment."