By Justin Flynn
Geelong will use the pre-finals bye weekend to refresh with captain Joel Selwood a huge chance to line up in the qualifying final against Richmond.
Selwood injured his ankle during the round 20 loss to Sydney and had surgery days later.
Selwood has been given the green light to resume training and could be a miraculous inclusion for the final on 8 September.
The Cats will need to weigh up whether to risk Selwood for the Richmond game or to give him an extra one or two weeks rest depending on the result. The loser of the qualifying final gets another chance the following weekend.
Geelong director of coaching Simon Lloyd said the side would use the week off to refresh and recharge.
“It’s as much about getting all their bodies right and we’ll have a couple of solid sessions throughout the week,” Lloyd said this week.
“(We’ll be) trying to simulate what Richmond will do on Friday week and also work on our game. That’s probably the biggest emphasis. We’ve had three strong weeks of really solid football and we’ll look to build on that.”
All public reserve tickets for the game next Friday night were sold out within 24 hours of going on sale on Tuesday morning.
A crowd of more than 90,000 will fill the MCG for the first finals clash between Geelong and Richmond since 1995.
The Cats won the last finals encounter between the two clubs, a 1995 preliminary final at VFL Park by 89 points.
A win would result in a preliminary finals berth, and another week off, while a loss would mean playing the winner of the Sydney v Essendon elimination final.
Geelong has won its past 13 encounters against the Tigers, including a round 21 victory at Simonds Stadium with a depleted side.
Geelong has also requested a match against Carlton at home next season for the first time in 21 years.
Geelong’s formal submission to the league asked for a clash against the Blues in a prime Saturday timeslot in the early part of the season at Simonds Stadium.
