Geelong are yet to rule out skipper Patrick Dangerfield for their blockbuster clash with Collingwood as the veteran manages a hip complaint.
Dangerfield, 36, jarred his hip in the second quarter of the Cats' win over Melbourne last week and finished that game on the bench but trained on Tuesday.
Coach Chris Scott made it clear ninth-placed Geelong wouldn't necessarily take a conservative approach in Thursday night's high-stakes clash at the MCG.
"No, we haven't made that decision yet. It's on the table," Scott said on Tuesday.
"I think I flagged last night ... that it's unlikely that we would take him through consecutive games for, hopefully it's two months.
"So whether it's this week or not, we're not quite sure. It will depend on how he pulls up. So we'll know more after our session today."
Geelong have managed the explosive Dangerfield through recent campaigns to have him firing at the pointy end of the season.
Scott said it had long been clear to Dangerfield, who this week signed for 2027, it was unlikely he would play every game each season.
"We do have a bit of experience with this now. We're confident in our processes there," the Geelong coach said.
"What that means for Thursday is a bit hard to predict, I wouldn't like to speculate either way. Both options are on the table now.
"What I would say is, just to help you with the way I think about things, if we were clear that he wasn't going to play I'd tell you now.
"So that gives you a bit of an indication that he's actually pulled up better than what was feared."
With stars Jeremy Cameron and Max Holmes sidelined, there would clearly be a temptation to play Dangerfield especially given Collingwood are without big-bodied defender Brayden Maynard.
"The short answer's yes. You look at the magnets and you think our team looks better with him in it," Scott said.
"But, hopefully, the more realistic interpretation of these things is to not focus on what the players are capable of when you look at the magnets and focus on what the reality is right at the moment.
"So, him less than his best - I just can't think of a game where we're going to do that at any stage, especially with the options that we do have available."
Scott won't let "hope" Dangerfield could have a big impact against eighth-placed Collingwood influence his decision-making.
"I'm really confident we'll make a smart decision there," he said.
"So I think, again, that's another way of saying if he plays you can have some confidence that he's really ready to go."
