Geelong Cats: Injury news, training watch ahead of round 17

A Geelong Cats big man made a surprise return to the training track in a bid to play his first game of football this season, while three senior players were noticeable absentees.

Cats members were greeted by a welcome sight of untried ruck Toby Conway training fully with the group on Monday morning.

Geelong hosted a members-only open training session at GMHBA Stadium, with hundreds of supporters turning out to watch the finals contenders prepare for their round 17 clash with North Melbourne.

The local ruck prospect, taken as the 24th selection back in 2021, was a welcome sight on track after spending much of the season recovering from various injuries.

Conway had spent much of the past two months participating in training, but to the side working on specific ruck craft with coach Brad Ottens.

The 205cm prospect was fully involved and unrestricted during drills, with a potential return to VFL football coming soon, having not played a game since round 22, 2022.

03-07-2023 Geelong Cats training at GMHBA Stadium Chris Scott Picture: Brad Fleet

Veterans Tom Hawkins, Mark Blicavs and Isaac Smith were not on track but are not under injury clouds, with Geelong opting to give the experienced trio the day off from training.

Defender Mark O’Connor was on track but did not participate in any drills, instead spending the morning walking the boundary line, signing autographs and taking photos with adorning fans.

After missing round 16 through injury, it seems unlikely O’Connor returns for the clash with North Melbourne, which fellow countryman Zach Tuohy will pass Jim Stynes’ record of most games played by an Irish player.

Star forward Jeremy Cameron was not on track as he progresses through the concussion protocols, but at this stage he is on track to return to the field for round 17, with Monday being the 12th day since he was knocked out by Gary Rohan in a sickening collision.

Small forward Sam Simpson trained with the group but was somewhat restricted while he wore a protective splint over his hand, with his timeline to return to football still unclear.

Sam Simpson. Picture: Brad Fleet

Prized draftee Jhye Clark seems unlikely to return to football in the short term, with the midfielder still wearing a moon boot on his left foot.

Clark suffered a navicular stress reaction in May and has been sidelined since making his debut against Richmond as the substitute in round 9.

Originally published as Geelong Cats: Injury news, training watch ahead of round 17