Versatile defender Sam Hunt is poised to make his return to the Bendigo Bank Cats’ line-up on Saturday morning at Skilled Stadium after missing a month with a finger tendon injury.

The 24-year-old will join Matthew Spencer, who is returning from an ankle injury, as the Cats embark on arguably their toughest challenge before the finals against second-placed Coburg.

Steven King’s promotion to the AFL paves the way for young ruckman Trent West to shoulder much of the ruck responsibility.

The developing big man has prospered in the shadow of King this season and the extra responsibility looms as another indication of his rapid-fire improvement.

“Westy’s been playing some really good footy, so he’s going to have to step up. It will be a good challenge for him,” coach Leigh Tudor said.

“We’ve got plenty of ruckman in our VFL side, so I can’t see (King’s absence) being a problem for us.”

Coburg has emerged as one of the most consistent teams this season and has not dropped out of the top four since surging into fourth position after round four.

Last week’s impressive victory over Casey at Casey Fields propelled the Richmond-affiliate into second position on the ladder, capping off their transformation into a genuine premiership contender.

Their continuous climb into the top echelon of the VFL is in direct contrast to their second half capitulation last season, where injuries decimated their premiership aspirations.

Young gun Alistair Neville, who was named Victoria’s best in the recent State of Origin triumph, has been in scintillating form this season, while former Geelong forward Kent Kingsley is second on the Tigers’ goal kicking with 20.

Tudor said that Cats will relish the opportunity to tackle the resurgent VFL force head on.

“They’re a good side so it’s going to be a challenge, we’re looking forward to playing them because we haven’t played them yet this year, so it will be a real big challenge,” he said.

“Their Coburg-listed players have been fantastic for them all year and their Richmond players have been rotated a fair bit through VFL and AFL, so they’re coming back in the VFL after playing some AFL games and playing better footy as a result.”

Tudor said he was unsure whether the week’s break would actually have a detrimental affect on the players, given Coburg is riding a wave of momentum after playing last week.

But he insisted the bye has enabled several players to freshen up ahead of the finals.

“I’m not sure (if the break could work against us), but we’ve had a really good break,” he said.

“Some guys have freshened up that needed to, and some guys have trained harder while having the week off.

“It’s a tough one, every side has to have their two byes, so we just put up with it in the best way we see fit. Our byes have been pretty well spread out this year, so I don’t think it’s affected us as all.”

Geelong’s VFL side was this week allowed back onto Skilled Stadium for the first time in six weeks after the surface was given the thumbs up last week.

The two sides have not met this season, however they did battle it out in the very first practice match of the year, which ended in a scrappy draw.

The action gets underway at 10.40am on Saturday morning.