JOEL Selwood might just be Geelong's most important player.
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The Cats captain was a blatant absence in his club's 22-point loss to Collingwood last week.
The Magpies' midfield ran riot after Selwood went off early with a hamstring complaint.
It's an indication of his ability as both player and leader, but at 32, Geelong will need to eventually fill his shoes.
You'd expect a club would miss its captain, especially when he is as tough and inspirational as Selwood is to the Kardinia Park-based club.
This season, however, it's really on show. Geelong's midfield - already missing Mitch Duncan - is still working to cover the loss of Tim Kelly to West Coast in the off-season.
Patrick Dangerfield can't do it all, even if he is the next-best leadership option on-field.
It seems the bulk of the sentimental leadership will left to 'Danger' as the Cats strive to bounce back against Fremantle on Monday.
"I haven't spoken to Paddy yet, but I'd be happy to do the coin toss and let Paddy do the speech," Cats co-vice captain Mark Blicavs said on Wednesday.
"I gave the boys a bit of a rev-up two days before the game against Collingwood (last week) and it was a train wreck.
"I didn't know what I was saying, we had a good laugh and joke about it. I might leave the speeches to Paddy."
While its injury-hit midfield is still a problem, the Cats have been granted reprieve with star defender Tom Stewart to return from a four-week absence.
"He's made a great recovery, it's amazing how quick he's come back and how good he already looks," Blicavs said.
"I'm looking forward to him coming back, trying to take some intercept marks and his run off half-back is pretty entertaining, he always has some highlights in every game he plays.
"He's a young leader and great leader for our team."
The Cats, like a lot of teams, are tough to gauge at the moment.
How far they go in 2020 will be shaped by how they navigate this period with an injury-hit midfield.
Over to you, Chris Scott and Geelong.
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