Geelong Cats star Patrick Dangerfield set to return from injury for blockbuster head-to-head clash with Richmond’s Dustin Martin
- Star midfielder hasn’t played since May 21 against Port Adelaide due to injury
- Geelong coach Chris Scott confident ‘Danger’ has overcome his calf complaint
- Patrick Dangerfield set to mark fellow superstar, Tigers forward Dustin Martin
Geelong’s Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield is set to return as coach Chris Scott forecasts more conservative injury management at his AFL club.
Dangerfield, 32, hasn’t played since hurting a calf muscle on May 21 versus Port Adelaide.
But Scott expects his star midfielder, who won the sport’s highest individual accolade in 2016, to be back for Saturday’s round 15 clash against Richmond at the MCG.
‘We think so,’ Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
‘We’d like to see this (training) session today especially but our plan has been pretty conservative in terms of the injury management, getting enough work into Patrick which he was denied earlier in the year.
‘Every indication is that he’ll be ready to go.
Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield is poised to make his long-awaited return this weekend for the Cats from a nagging calf injury
With fellow superstar Dustin Martin also likely to return, AFL fans are salivating ahead of the Geelong v Richmond clash at the MCG on Saturday
‘But I must say that over the next whatever it is, eight or nine weeks to finish off the year, that we won’t hesitate with any of our players to play it a bit more conservatively if that is what the data is telling us.
‘It’s exciting that it looks as if (Richmond star) Dustin Martin is back and Patrick Dangerfield is back, I hope they get to play on each other a bit.’
Scott said veteran Shaun Higgins, who hasn’t been sighted at AFL level since round seven, would play in state league ranks this weekend while downplaying the significance of a recent heavy training load at the Cats.
After last week’s away win against West Coast, Scott said the club had increased training workloads entering that fixture and over the preceding bye weekend.
But on Wednesday, Scott said of the heavier training block: ‘I suspect if it has been spoken about much at all, it’s a little overblown.
‘It hasn’t been a departure from what we have been doing in previous years.
‘There’s always a balance for us…we certainly won’t have any excuses going into this game.
‘We think our preparation has been good for the longer term for the couple of months to come, but by this week we think we’re primed to play well.’
The blockbuster round 15 clash between the Cats and Tigers starts from 4.35pm on Saturday at the MCG.