COLEMAN Medal leader Tom Hawkins will be spared of a rest as Geelong prepares for a top-four clash with Port Adelaide to end its fixture crunch on Friday.
Hawkins' bag of five goals spearheaded the Cats to a 59-point win over St Kilda on Monday night, taking him level with West Coast's Josh Kennedy with 24 majors.
The date with the Power at Metricon Stadium will be Geelong's fifth match in just 19 days, with Hawkins playing through.
Despite dealing with an ongoing back injury in recent years, the 32-year-old believes the constant flow of games has helped his run of form, which is arguably the best of his career.
"I'll let people outside comment on that (best run of form) but I'm really pleased with the shape I'm in, the way I'm playing, the way I'm moving and the way I'm feeling," Hawkins said on Tuesday.
"I certainly feel my age at the moment, but again there's a lot of players in a similar position. Whenever you say three-and-a-half days (rest) the day after a night game, it's pretty scary.
"Tight turnarounds mean you're going to be sore and you're not going to go into each game feeling 100 per cent fresh.
"I always envisaged I'd play every game possible (in 2020), I don't see myself having a rest moving forward, either.
"I'd like to keep playing and I think that's the best thing for me and my football and probably my body, to be fair."
Coach Chris Scott hinted key forward Esava Ratugolea would return to face the Power after sitting out the last two wins against the Saints and North Melbourne.
Patrick Dangerfield has played predominantly as a key forward in Ratugolea's absence in order to avoid the need for a match rest.
Hawkins will be reunited with his family on Thursday when they're cleared of 14-day quarantine in the AFL transition hub on the Gold Coast.
