DESPITE growing speculation that Tom Hawkins will earn a recall to play Richmond on Saturday, Geelong coach Mark Thompson says his young forward is no certainty.

Hawkins, who was left out of the round one side that beat Hawthorn, kicked five second-half goals in a VFL practice match last weekend.

"He certainly hasn’t got a game yet," Thompson said from Skilled Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. "We haven’t had match committee and we haven’t talked as a group as to who will be in and out.

"It’s just all rumour."

Thompson added that public expectations of Hawkins, who has played just 19 games since his 2007 debut, were unrealistic.

Some pundits have flagged Hawkins' prospective role in attack as crucial to the Cats claiming another premiership.

"I’m just trying to play down his expectations because everybody expects him to be something he’s not ready to be," Thompson said.

Hawkins' inclusion could be influenced by the availability of four-time All Australian full-back Matthew Scarlett, who is working to recover from a rolled ankle suffered in the eight-point win over Hawthorn.

Thompson rated Scarlett a better-than-even-money chance to play because the defender iced the joint in the hours after the game.

Scarlett will test the ankle at training on Wednesday.

But midfielder Joel Selwood, who was concussed in the opening minutes of the match, has made a full recovery.

Thompson said the 2007 NAB AFL Rising Star would start on Saturday against the Tigers and expressed his displeasure at a report suggesting his club erred in allowing Selwood to return to the field.

"Our doctors go through a whole range of things to see if a player is able to get back onto the field," he said.

"Even though he was affected immediately after the hit, he came back very quickly and knew exactly who he was playing on and some of the things we were going to work on before the game."

Thompson said his players had to be wary of the besieged Tigers after their 83-point humiliation at the hands of Carlton.

"Richmond has been under pressure this week and there was a lot of expectation in round one for Richmond," he said. "That’s a huge burden to carry sometimes.

"I’d expect that Richmond, after winning so many games late last year, will be more true to their form than they were in round one.

"You should always be wary of clubs under pressure."

Thompson said the most interesting aspect of Saturday’s match could be the impact of the club’s stadium redevelopment on playing conditions.

Following the demolition of the Ross Drew Stand, the Barwon River end of the ground is exposed to the elements in the forward pocket.

Few goals were kicked from there in the club’s intra-club match last month and Thompson said it had been a problem all summer.

"There’s a big hole in the stadium and it’s been really unpredictable and hard to even train for us at times," he said.

"I think they are expecting rain and wind, so it might be a really ugly game."