Scarlett has not played since injuring his back against Hawthorn in round two while Ablett missed Sunday’s huge win over Richmond because of hamstring soreness.
Cats coach Mark Thompson confirmed the two would be set to return next week but Joel Corey and Max Rooke are set to miss at least one more week with knee injuries.
“I don’t think Joel Corey will get up. I think Scarlett and Ablett are a very good
chance to play. (Max) Rooke probably not,” Thompson said after Sunday’s game.
“There is no setback (with Corey), he is on his way to try to play without having a long-term problem.”
Geelong took on the Tigers with a point to prove after losing to Carlton last week. Thompson was highly critical of his players after the Blues match and praised them for their ability to rebound so strongly.
“I thought it was a big improvement from last week and the opposition today was irrelevant. It was about what we wanted to achieve and we achieved a fair bit of that. I’m pretty happy,” he said.
“I was pretty angry, not because we lost but I was angry with the way we lost and the way we played last week. Everyone’s talking up Ablett and everything else. To me it’s one-in, all-in. We didn’t play well as a club and I didn’t think any individual deserved to be branded not part of the group.”
Thompson was coy when questioned about reports star Joel Selwood had rejected offers from Gold Coast to re-sign with the Cats and even joked that Ablett’s signature could also be near.
“It’s good news. I even heard last night that maybe Ablett’s going to stay too which is even better news. At the moment I haven’t heard anything. Fingers crossed like everybody else,” he said.
Thompson admitted he felt for opposition coach and his former Essendon teammate Damien Hardwick after the 108-point loss but said the Tigers just had to be patient with their development.
“He probably knew the situation they were going to be in. The whole club knew the situation. They have a new coach and got rid of a lot of players,” he said.
“They are going to build it from the ground up. Unfortunately that’s just part of what you have to go through.”
