Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Geelong star Max Holmes is closing on an AFL finals return, adding to the good news for the Cats ahead of next month.
While coach Chris Scott is not as bullish as Holmes about when the two-time club best-and-fairest will return, he is rapt with his progress.
Holmes has not played since fracturing an ankle and needing syndesmosis surgery in round 19.
The most likely scenario is that Holmes stays sidelined for Geelong’s likely elimination final, but presses his case for a semi-final berth if they keep winning.
“Holmes is coming with a rush. He’s declared himself fit for the next game – I don’t think he’ll play, but it’s a good sign that he’s confident,” Scott said.
The Cats won their sixth-straight match and kicked their second-highest score of the season in Saturday night’s 20.13 (133) to 11.10 (76) win over Richmond.
The game was highlighted by star forward Jeremy Cameron successfully returning from injury.
While Oli Wiltshire suffered a foot injury against Richmond, the Cats are in good shape for the finals.
With Hawthorn set to beat West Coast on Sunday, the Cats will finish fifth and have the week off ahead of their elimation final.
“This is a absurd speculation, really, but it’s somewhere in that timeframe,” Scott said of Holmes playing in a semi-final.
“He’s hit every milestone they were hoping for and it’s all been really positive.
“But until it gets to the stage where we’re within a week or two, I don’t pay much attention to it.”
Scott added there was a “high” chance that Cameron would play in defence during the finals, rather than his usual role in front of the ball.
“We’ve joked for a long time that if we had two of him, we’d play one behind the ball,” Scott said.
“He just gives us a different look and he does change the way the game has played.
“I’ve always appreciated his flexibility and I’ve never thought of him as just an inside-50 torget.”
Scott is bullish about the Cats’ prospects of a deep run through the finals.
“Collectively, we go into the finals series feeling good about our game. Not over-confident, but we feel like we’ve given ourselves a chance to have a really good swing at it,” Scott said.
“To finish fifth or sixth with a 15-8 record and a really good percentage, that’s a good season – a lot of years that would get you into the top four.
