Geelong stars Tom Hawkins, Tom Stewart, Sam De Koning, Cam Guthrie fighting for spots in Cats team

Geelong coach Chris Scott stands between Tom Hawkins and a fairytale finish to his career.

The three-time premiership winner is at long odds to make his way back into the Cats side for their preliminary final against the Lions at the MCG on Saturday,

Defender-turned-midfielder Tom Stewart is also in contention as he returns from hamstring tightness along with another injured Cat Sam De Koning.

The Cats thumped the Lions by 71 points in the 2022 preliminary final on their way to winning the flag.

Champion forward Hawkins, who will retire at season’s end, hasn’t played in the AFL since injuring his foot in round 15 against Carlton.

He and De Koning have both played a game in the VFL on their road to recovery.

Geelong have kicked more than 100 points in five of 10 games without Hawkins, with mobile tall Shannon Neale thriving in his absence.

Cats star forward Jeremy Cameron admitted it would be hard to see 36yearold Hawkins miss out.

“It’d be obviously difficult. He’s been through a fair bit this season,” he said.

“He could just sail off and he’s had an amazing career, and it’s so touch and go with the timing of how his foot is healing and the timing of getting back, it’s a tight window, but he’s done everything he could possibly do.

“He’s in there, working behind the scenes, he’s in the heat room. “He’s doing everything he can to give himself a chance. And that’s all you can really ask for,” he said.

“It’d be obviously difficult. He’s been through a fair bit this season,” he said.

“He could just sail off and he’s had an amazing career, and it’s so touch and go with the timing of how his foot is healing and the timing of getting back, it’s a tight window, but he’s done everything he could possibly do.

“He’s in there, working behind the scenes, he’s in the heat room. He’s doing everything he can to give himself a chance. And that’s all you can really ask for.

“It’s very lifting to walk down to the gym and see that.

“I’m lucky. I don’t have to sit in the committee and make the big decisions, but he’s given himself every chance, and that’s all we can ask for from a great teammate.”

Cam Guthrie also looms as a heartbreak story after two injury-decimated seasons, but Cameron said he had been “unbelievable” as he pushed his own selection case.

But Stewart appears a likely starter against Brisbane.

“He’s been training really well, Tommy. He’s got to get through training this week, but we all do. Tommy’s in the same boat,” Cameron said.

“He’s going well. Exciting to have him come back, for sure.

“We know what Tommy’s like and how big of a player he is for the club.”

Cameron has hailed Geelong’s remodelled attack in the wake of the injuries the team has had to deal with.

The likes of mature-age recruit Shaun Mannagh and AFL Rising Star Ollie Dempsey have also been influential.

“It’s a really nice balance. We’ve got a lot of guys that can play different roles,” Cameron said.

“Scratcher (Neale) has been enormous for us. He provides a really big contest. He’s such a big fella and when he can launch at the ball, he’s hard to stop. So he plays an important role.

“Ollie Henry’s a different sort of player. He can really leap and take it at the highest point as well, but he’s so dangerous on ground level as well, and very classy.

“We’ve got just a really good mix. There’s guys that aren’t talked about a hell of a lot, but inside, internally, they play a huge role for us.

“It’s nice to be able to mix things up if things aren’t really working for us at any given time. We’ve got the licence to change it up and have a different look at it. And I think that’s key to the big moments and big games.”

Meanwhile, Geelong veteran Gary Rohan has made a surprise appearance at training today, a week after undergoing surgery on his fractured skull.

He has not been ruled out of making a comeback for the grand final. Rohan has already been ruled out of action this week, but not the grand final. The 33-year-old was sporting a nasty scar on his head with over 30 staples clearly visible through a shaved section of his head.

The speedster needed surgery on his skull after copping a glancing blow to the face during the Cats’ VFL loss on nine days ago.

Geelong are coming off a 16 day break after thrashing Port Adelaide in the qualifying final and have only played one game of football in a month due to the pre-finals bye.

The two preliminary finals, also featuring Sydney against Port Adelaide, is the first time in 19 years four different States will be represented.