GEELONG has preached caution about the potential date of skipper Joel Selwood's return, but the Cats happy with his progress so far and remain hopeful he will play finals.

After suffering a high ankle sprain in round 20 against the Sydney Swans, Selwood had an operation to give himself every chance of returning in September.

He has been showing promising signs in the first 10 days since surgery but the Cats said it was too early to be definitive about a return date.

Geelong coach Chris Scott indicated the club would know more when the time came for Selwood to ramp up his rehabilitation.

"It's positive so far, but these types of injuries tend to come together pretty quickly in the early stages, even post-surgery," Scott said.

"The challenge is late in the rehab process, so we're not at that point yet. Early indications are good, but we'd be shattered if they were bad."

Western Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore had a similar operation after round 19, returning for the finals about 40 days later to play a starring role in the Bulldogs' premiership.

Selwood has shown remarkable resilience through his career, playing at least 20 games in each of the first 10 years of his career until this season, in which he has played 18 games.

He has not missed a final the Cats have played since he began in 2007.