Menzel among key players who could return as Cats ponder selection
Geelong have weighed up whether to include unlucky forward Dan Menzel for Friday night's game against the Western Bulldogs despite him not playing since round five.
The 26-year-old is one of four potential inclusions for the Cats first game after the break, with experienced trio Harry Taylor, Scott Selwood and Cam Guthrie all set to be available for selection after resuming from injuries through the VFL.
Although Menzel's inclusion would be a surprise given his lack of recent match practice, the master converter has been running well since returning to training.
The Cats also have an immediate vacancy for a forward with Lincoln McCarthy unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury in round 13 against Richmond, while several young players struggled to have an impact against the defending premiers.
Speedy forward Quinton Narkle is also an outside chance of making his debut having made an exciting return from a knee reconstruction.
Menzel was in great form in the first five rounds, kicking 15 goals, with his bag of five goals against St Kilda in round four the first time he had kicked five majors in a game since before he injured his knee in the 2011 finals series.
Unfortunately, his run of form was halted when he had an adverse reaction to an injection he received to manage a niggling groin problem during a week off in round six.
The sharpshooter has not played at Etihad Stadium since round five last season and despite his impressive record at the venue, the club may take the ground into consideration when making the call.
The Cats returned from their bye weekend on Tuesday with some players training together on the Gold Coast over the break and have their main training session scheduled for Wednesday.
They sit seventh on the ladder after 13 games but have been impressively defensively conceding fewer points than any other team at this stage of the season.