GEELONG expects key forward Mitch Clark to play against the Sydney Swans on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium, but is not yet in a position to guarantee he will do so.

Cats' coach Chris Scott said Clark's welfare remained the club's priority, and they would ensure all bases were covered before the decision was made. But he was sure the 27-year-old wanted to play.

"That's a good sign," Scott said.

The talented Cat, who was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2014, was emotional after the team's win against Collingwood last Friday night and did not sing the club song post-game.

Scott says Cats will rally around Clark 

The coach said the club and player had been overwhelmed with the support they had received since the weekend.

"Mitch is proud of the fact that maybe in some small way he is able to help with the understanding of these sort of these conditions," Scott said.

But the coach also indicated it was difficult for individuals when such situations were played out in public, even though they might recognise the potential benefits to the wider community.

"It's an uncomfortable, undesirable position for all of us but hopefully there is a small positive from it," Scott said.

Scott said there were always a number of players within any football club at any time of the year that required support for a variety of reasons.

Scott used the example of young midfielder Josh Cowan, who played his first senior game for 1384 days against Collingwood on Friday night only to break down during the first quarter with another hamstring strain.

"Josh is devastated. He is as resilient a character as I've met in football and I'm really confident he'll be back, but he requires our support," Scott said.

"We have other players on our list that haven't played much AFL football that have issues they need to deal with.

"The positive thing about AFL football these days is the club environment is the best place for players in a lot of cases to deal with these sorts of issues." 

Mitch Clark was visibly distressed after Geelong's win over Collingwood last Friday. Picture: AFL Media