GEELONG skipper Joel Selwood is uncertain what reception his former premiership teammate Steve Johnson will get from the local crowd when he returns to Simonds Stadium on the weekend.

However, he doesn't think the triple premiership Cat will get booed, because he gave so much joy to Geelong supporters in 253 games and 14 seasons.

"We've had some great players come back in the past and they have really respected what the players have done here," Selwood said.

Selwood said he wasn't sure whether Johnson would catch up with his former teammates ahead of the game, but he was quick to put his appearance in perspective.  

"This week Stevie is just another player for them."

The Cats did not offer Johnson a contract at the end of the season and he was traded to Greater Western Sydney.

He has played 10 games and kicked 21 goals for the Giants, including a five-goal haul against the defending premiers, Hawthorn.

"He has played some good footy and we have our eye on the prize this week too," Selwood said.

The skipper said, like plenty of his teammates, he could have played better in recent weeks after down days when Collingwood's Levi Greenwood and Carlton's Ed Curnow sat on him for the day. 

"We've had a couple of little teething problems in the last couple of weeks but we'll look to arrest those and make sure we fix them up," Selwood said. 

Selwood said the Cats wanted to improve on their performance when they last met the Giants and have placed an emphasis on turning around the contested ball and clearance numbers from round two. 

That day, the Cats lost clearances by 13 and were beaten in contested ball by 22 (although the free kick count was minus 13 on the day).

They also conceded 58 points through stoppages while only scoring 15 points after being jumped in the second quarter. 

Selwood dismissed suggestions that the next month of football would define the Cats season and said no-one was yet certain what standard Geelong was capable of reaching. 

"We haven't proved anything yet," he said.