Former Geelong dual premiership player Josh Hunt says it’s brave and dangerous to write off the Cats’ AFL prospects as he prepares to face his old club for the first time.

While some pundits have discounted Geelong as a genuine title contender, the Cats have climbed back into the top four on the back of three successive victories and Port Adelaide’s recent from slump.

GWS Giants back Hunt, who was part of Geelong’s 2007 and 2011 flag-winning teams, has been recalled after two weeks in the reserves.

He had a warning for knockers of the Cats, who he said had been criticised for years.

“You don’t sit third or fourth on the ladder if you’re not doing the things that make you a good side and win games,” said Hunt, who played 198 of his 208 AFL games for Geelong.

“I just think that it’s dangerous for anyone to think Geelong are too old and too slow.

“They are still a quality footy club and they’ve got great players on every line.

“While they are a year older than last year, at the end of the day they play well together and they work really well as a unit.

“I think that it would be a brave person to write them off or just pencil them in as a game that you can really dominate.”

Geelong have, however, struggled outside Victoria this season.

Since a round-two win over Brisbane, Geelong have lost their four interstate games by a combined score of 222 points.

Port Adelaide and Gold Coast beat them by 40, Fremantle by 32, and Sydney by 110.

GWS have lost their last three by margins of 46, 68 and 76 points to Sydney, Adelaide and Fremantle respectively.

Hunt played for Geelong in their only two previous games against GWS, noting the Giants were in with a chance in both up until halftime.

Midfielder Adam Treloar and forwards Jon Patton and Tom Boyd have also been recalled to the GWS side.

“We think our key defenders are a strength of our game and their key forwards are definitely the strength for them, so it will be a good battle,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said on Cats TV.

Midfielder Allan Christensen was withdrawn from the Geelong team on Friday after showing flu-like symptoms, but Matthew Stokes and Dawson Simpson were both recalled.