If out-of-sorts Geelong veteran Jimmy Bartel was worried about keeping his spot he’ll be breathing easier after receiving a vote of confidence from coach Chris Scott on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old’s place in the Cats’ team has been a source of much conjecture after a string of indifferent performances.

But Scott gave every indication Bartel would face Sydney in Friday night’s preliminary final at the MCG when he spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s training session.

“There are a lot of players who are in our team who aren’t absolutely guaranteed a spot, but Jimmy is much more likely than unlikely (to play) and that’s been the case for a long time,” Scott said.

“Jimmy is much more likely than unlikely (to play) and that’s been the case for a long time.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott

“I understand that it attracts a lot of attention because he’s been a champion player and he’s towards the end of his career, but we’ve been pretty consistent all year that we don’t announce our team on Tuesday.

“We’ve got a bit to work through just yet but the guys who played in our last game are all in the box seat to play this week.”

The Cats are likely to make at least one change to the 22 that earned a week off when they squeezed past Hawthorn by two points in their qualifying final.

Defender Lachie Henderson has fully recovered from the knee surgery he underwent after round 22 and Scott hinted his ability to play at either end of the ground could see him force his way in.

“I think against Sydney that flexibility is going to be important,” Scott said.

“For obvious reasons the focus can be on (Lance Franklin) and Tom Lonergan has traditionally taken him but having the capacity to have different players who can help out in that area would be an asset.

“We think we’ve got pretty good flexibility in our squad and irrespective of the final 22 we go with we’ve got confidence that we’ve got a few guys who can play at either end of the ground.

“Lachie is certainly one of them.”

Scott is asked if Jimmy Bartel is a guaranteed starter. "The guys that played in our last game are all in the box seat to play this week."

— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) September 20, 2016

The Cats are relatively healthy going into the clash, with Scott suggesting up to seven players were entitled to feel bitterly disappointed not to be included in the team.

The hobbled Swans are limping into the preliminary final by comparison, but Scott said he would spend little time trying to figure out if injured Sydney trio Jarrad McVeigh, Callum Mills and Gary Rohan would recover in time to play.

Sydney ruck-forward Kurt Tippett has been cleared to return from a fractured jaw that kept him from the Swans’ semi-final win over Adelaide.

-AAP