The Cats will welcome back their skipper on Friday night, with Patrick Dangerfield set to return for his first game since round eight after overcoming a hamstring injury.  

Dangerfield will be an exciting sight for Cats fans, particularly against a strong Carlton midfield in an important match under the MCG lights.  
 
The captain was at his dominant best in the last meeting with the Blues, collecting 11 contested possessions and seven inside 50’s, before he was subbed out with the hamstring injury in the third quarter.  
 
Chris Scott is confident that the extended layoff has set Dangerfield up to attack the back half of the season, telling media that he is in terrific physical condition.  

 
“He has had a really long build up to playing,” Scott said.  
 
“In our mind he recovered from the injury pretty quickly, and the last half of his recovery was just built around his conditioning program, making sure that when he did come back that he was ready to perform really well.   
 
“In terms of his physical condition, he is in really good shape and has done a power of work.   
 
“As has been our policy a little bit, we will prioritise a little bit of extra training to make sure those guys come in ready to perform.”

With the chance to freshen up after the bye, the Cats will be hoping to kickstart their run home with a strong performance against the Blues last Friday.  
 
Geelong and Carlton currently sit in sixth and second position respectively, but only four points separates the two sides with a logjam forming on the ladder.  
 
Scott said that the challenge awaiting this weekend is exciting, but the Cats won’t be taking Carlton lightly as they look to build momentum on Friday night.  
 
“The personnel part is always the easiest thing to talk about when it comes to Carlton,” Scott said.  
 
“They have got two of the best young key forwards in the competition, they might have the best young key defender in the comp, some great midfielders as well.  
 
“You look through their team and they have got talent everywhere.  
 
“We have some admiration for their system and the way they are playing together, some of their role players are very good players in their own right, we think they are a very solid team.” 
The Cats face Carlton on Friday night at the MCG, with the opening bounce at 7.40pm.    

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