GEELONG is hopeful captain Joel Selwood has avoided a serious hamstring strain after the champion midfielder was forced out of Thursday night's 22-point loss to Collingwood in the opening term. 

But the Cats are sweating on the seriousness of a shoulder dislocation for youngster Jordan Clark, who left the field in the third term and ended the game in a sling.

00:32

Young gun hurts shoulder (R7)

Geelong suffer another setback with Jordan Clark leaving the game with a shoulder injury

Clark injured the shoulder in a contest with Brodie Grundy and left the field with assistance from the Cats’ trainers.   

Cats coach Chris Scott said the club was hopeful it was only a minor issue for Selwood but they would wait for scans to assess the damage to Clark.

"I think speaking to [Joel] and the medical staff briefly they're optimistic it's not too bad but it always takes a bit of time to make that assessment," Scott said post-game.

"There was no suggestion that we would think about putting him back on the ground so that says a little bit. 

"Jordan Clark had a shoulder dislocation so that's not a great sign, but the variation between the minor shoulder dislocation and the severe one is great so we're hoping it's on the minor end. 

"I'm not really sure yet, some others might have better clarity."

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Selwood done for the night (R7)

Geelong have been dealt a huge setback with captain Joel Selwood finished for the game after appearing to injure his hamstring

Clark's injury followed Selwood’s setback early in the first quarter when the champion midfielder left the field midway through the opening term of the Optus Stadium contest as Geelong medicos assessed the injury.  

He was soon ruled out of the rest of the game and had his right hamstring iced before quarter-time of the clash while on the interchange bench, leaving the Cats one player short in the battle between the premiership fancies.  

The 32-year-old, who had hamstring surgery over summer, said the concern was minor.  

"It felt like just a cramp and I shouldn’t be cramping in the first quarter. I came off and got tested and there was enough there, in a season like it is, not to continue on," Selwood told Channel Seven.  

Selwood is famously durable, having played 20 or more games in all of his completed 13 seasons at AFL level. Scott said he was unsure if the strain was to the same hamstring that required off-season surgery.

He celebrated his 300th game in round five with a win over Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium. 

The injuries further soured the Cats' outing in Perth, with Scott admitting they were outplayed for much of the contest despite edging close before the Magpies booted the last two goals of the game to be comfortable winners.