Geelong forward Gary Rohan has suffered a concussion in the Cats' VFL loss against Southport as fellow premiership teammates Tom Hawkins, Cam Guthrie and Sam De Koning pressed their case for AFL recalls.
Rohan failed a head injury assessment after copping a knock during the first quarter of Saturday's 29-point semi-final defeat at GMHBA Stadium.
But the 33-year-old could realistically still return for Geelong's AFL preliminary final as he will be out of the 12-day concussion protocols by then.
Hawkins, who will retire when Geelong's season ends, was inaccurate with 1.3 in his first VFL appearance since 2011.
It was the 36-year-old great's first match at any level since he hurt his foot in Geelong's round-15 loss against Carlton.
The Cats will be a hard team to crack into after they steamrolled hapless Port Adelaide by 84 points in their qualifying final on Thursday night.
Experienced midfielder Guthrie worked his way into the contest to finish with 19 possessions, four clearances and a goal.
Guthrie has endured a frustrating run with injury since being a key member of Geelong's 2022 premiership team.
The 32-year-old has been restricted to just four AFL games this season - the most recent in round 10 - after playing just six last year.
Versatile tall Sam De Koning, who starred in 2022 as a key defender has been overlooked for a senior recall and was soundly beaten in the ruck by Southport big man Brayden Crossley.
The premiership Cats will have to bide their time before the AFL preliminary final with the defeat to the Sharks ending their VFL season.
Mitch Knevitt, who has played 14 games across three seasons at Geelong, couldn't have done any more to be considered for a surprise recall after starring with 39 possessions and 13 clearances.
