Geelong to test AFL depth against Lions

Opportunity has been hard to come by for Geelong key forwards Josh Walker and Mitch Brown.

Brown has played 13 AFL matches in four seasons, while Walker has managed 14 in three.

Before Saturday’s home clash with Brisbane, neither man had been a part of Chris Scott’s side since a round-14 loss to Gold Coast.

But on the eve of the finals, both will be given a golden chance to stake a claim for September action.

Shane Kersten was one of five omissions for Saturday’s game at Simonds Stadium due to a hamstring niggle.

If Kersten is unable to regain full fitness before next week’s qualifying final, Scott will need a new foil forward for behemoth Tom Hawkins.

“I think they would be (ready for finals),” Geelong speedster Travis Varcoe told AAP.

“They’ve been trained up the right way and their attitude is first class. We’ve got a lot of confidence in them.”

Small forward Lincoln McCarthy, who has endured a wretched run with injuries since being drafted in 2011, was also promoted for the final round of the regular season.

McCarthy is playing his fourth game, while relatively experienced young guns Billie Smedts and George Horlin-Smith also earn recalls.

“They’ve all worked very hard to get back into the side,” Varcoe said.

“It’s been a pretty hard side to get into during the last six or seven weeks.”

Steven Motlop, Allen Christensen and Hamish McIntosh were rested by Scott, while Kersten and Brad Hartman (adductor) are out due to injury.

Varcoe suggested the Cats, who are likely to face Hawthorn in week one of the finals, were paying scant regard to the high-profile omissions.

“We’re not going to put too much emphasis on the missing players, because the guys we’re bringing in are just as capable,” he said.

Should Fremantle topple Port Adelaide and Geelong suffer an unexpected loss to Brisbane, the Cats will slip to fourth on the ladder.

Varcoe noted Geelong were more worried about “ironing out the kinks” in their gameplan.

“Third quarters are a massive one for us,” Varcoe said of what his side needed to work on.

Another second-half fadeout marred Geelong’s last-start loss to Hawthorn.

“We can’t afford to have any lapses now,” Varcoe said.

“Once you’re in finals, it’s obviously going to cost you a fair bit.”

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