Geelong's plan to refresh key players for the AFL finals looms as a masterstroke, captain Joel Selwood says.
Selwood reckons the fitness blueprint has made a huge difference as the Cats prepare for Thursday night's qualifying final against Port Adelaide.
"We are as healthy as what we have ever been, which is really exciting for our group," Selwood told reporters on Wednesday.
"We have sort of limped into a few finals (series) at times, whereas right now there's a buzz around."
Selwood, who sat out rounds 13-17, and the likes of Gary Ablett had restricted home-and-away seasons with a view of peaking for the finals.
Both veterans returned from lengthy absences last round in a calculated gamble from coach Chris Scott, who weighed up freshness against a lack of match fitness.
"I probably knew that match fitness would be a little bit limited if I was going to do it the way we planned on doing it, but I was always okay with that," Selwood said.
"It was more to make sure the body is in as good a nick as it possibly can be.
"I'm feeling good. I got a number of (training) sessions back-to-back which I haven''t quite done for a long time so that's the exciting part about it.
"Now it's just to put it into games. And I have played enough of those to know what I need to to."
Geelong will later Wednesday fly from their Gold Coast hub to Adelaide with a squad of about 28 players including ruckman Rhys Stanley, who has recovered from a groin injury.
"He (Stanley) has got himself in a position where he's up and running and looking really good, so up to the coaches now on which way they go," Selwood said.
"But credit to Rhys. When he has played in our side this year and played really well, we have had really good results."
Australian Associated Press
