SCOTT Selwood concedes he's "pretty much no chance" of lining up against Hawthorn in round one, with the Geelong recruit not eyeing a return until the early rounds of the premiership season.

Selwood, who has joined his brothers Joel and Troy at the Cattery, is battling a lengthy recovery from a third bout of ankle surgery last October.

"It's slowly coming along, it's probably a little bit slower than what I would've liked, and at this stage I'm pretty much no chance for round one now," Selwood told 3AW.

"I'm looking to go a few rounds into the season and try to get back into the team then."

Selwood, 25, was one of four important recruits – including Patrick Dangerfield, Lachie Henderson and Zac Smith - secured by the Cats over the off-season.

The rugged midfielder said leaving West Coast after missing out on the Grand Final was a tough call and admitted he didn't feel entirely part of Geelong yet given he's been in rehab.

"I probably don't feel fully part of the group and that's just part of being in rehab and I'm aware of that," Selwood said.

"I think once I do get fully fit and come back in I can have the proper impact that I want. I've rushed the last couple of times I've tried to come back and haven’t played good footy as a result.

"So I'm really aware that I need to take my time with this one and get it right before I come back in and, firstly, try to get back in the side because we've got such a healthy list at the moment and it's looking good."

Selwood, who changed his mind to leave the Eagles "about 15 times", played 135 games for West Coast and won the best and fairest in 2012 before being cruelled by injury.