Rhys Stanley back for Cats in AFL
Jun 13, 2017 - 2:25 AM The versatile Rhys Stanley will be asked to fill the big shoes of suspended Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins in Thursday night's AFL clash against West Coast.The 26-year-old Stanley is equally adept at holding down a key-forward position and providing assistance to Zac Smith in the ruck.
Now the former Saint gets the chance to shine in both positions at Domain Stadium in what will be only his fifth senior match of 2017, although he's likely to spend most time in the forward 50m arc at Domain Stadium.
"He's probably as close as we've got to a genuine 50-50 in that area," Cats coach Chris Scott said on Tuesday.
"We brought him in as a ruckman who can play forward .
I think Rhys, along with the rest of our team, is a bit of a work in progress.
"He's like the cricket allrounder, in some ways - you've got to be good enough to hold your position as a batsman or a bowler.
"You can't rely in the fact that you can do both to keep you in the team.
"So that's the challenge in front of Rhys.
"We would like to think he can play so well as a key forward that he demands that spot in isolation and then he can help in the ruck. Or vice versa."
Hawkins is serving a one-match ban for his jumper punch to the head of Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch.
Cats small defender Jed Bews is also set to return to senior action against the ninth-placed Eagles after missing one game with an ankle injury.
Eagles coach Adam Simpson said it was unlikely that two-time Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy would recover from a calf injury in time to take his place against the Cats.
But Scott will err on the side of caution and have different plans in place for whether or not Kennedy plays.
"You'd be crazy not to think about what he means to their forward line because he is such a good player and I think there is a flow-on effect to guys like (Jack) Darling and (Mark) LeCras and (Josh) Hill when he does play," said Scott.
Source: AAP
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