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“It was very fortunate, the injury that sort of came of it,” Weitering said. “The scans came back clear, and then we came back on the Monday morning, and there was something in there.

“I wasn’t feeling the best for a few days, but [I] certainly feel much better now.”

While the Blues showed they were intent on slicker ball movement on Wednesday night, edging out the Cats by 15 points, the league’s new ruck rule twice came under scrutiny during the practice match.

Geelong forward Shannon Neale hobbled from the ground in the third term clutching at his right leg after banging knees with Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet at a centre bounce.

It was reminiscent of a spate of PCL injuries that led to ruck rules being changed at the start of the 2005 season, even though Geelong insisted Neale had merely hurt his shin.

Earlier, Pittonet was penalised at a centre bounce for crossing the line when it appeared he was merely bracing for contact against the high-leaping Sam De Koning.

The moment: The ruck rule will be difficult to adjudicate. Geelong kicked a goal in the third term thanks to a dubious centre square infringement. Pittonet was pinged for crossing the centre line against De Koning. “Now, I reckon that is incredibly unlucky,” Fox Footy commentator Jason Dunstall said. “What he is basically doing is getting out of the way because De Koning is about to jump into him. But De Koning doesn’t get anywhere near the footy. So I think that is one they will look at and probably go, ‘well, maybe that is not the right decision’. All Pittonet did, in the end, was go where the ball dropped.”

The eye-catchers: The 5000-odd Blues fans at Ikon Park were cock-a-hoop with the assured display of 2024 No.3 draft pick Smith. The mid-sized midfielder has had to wait 12 months for his debut after being sidelined last year with an ACL injury. But it has been worth the wait. As well as finding plenty of the pill, he spent a lot of time at centre bounces alongside Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh.

Sorry to make this all about the green shoots, but diehard Blues fans would have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief late in the second quarter when 2025 No.3 draft pick Harry Dean leapt sideways into a pack, threw his hands up late and plucked the ball from the air. If he didn’t have reddish hair, and it wasn’t 2026, you would swear that the slightly hunch-backed No.35 was his father and dual Carlton premiership player Peter Dean.

For the Cats, it was a welcome return for onballer Tanner Bruhn who missed all of last year because of a court case. All charges against Bruhn and friend Patrick Sinnott were dropped in November. He found a stack of the ball early and finished the game with 27 disposals. Hawthorn recruit James Worpel was serviceable, while Max Holmes showed why he is one of the premier players in the competition with his customary run and dash.

The injuries: Geelong’s forward stocks tumbled when Neale hobbled from the ground. They were already without Jeremy Cameron. “He just got a bit of a knock on his shin,” Geelong assistant coach James Kelly said of Neale’s injury. “He’s a bit unlucky. There’s probably about 10 centimetres that isn’t covered by the shin guard, and he just got a knock above that. We expect he’ll be fine.”

Carlton fans breathed a sigh of relief after mega-signing Sam Walsh reappeared on the ground in the opening quarter. Earlier, he grabbed at his lower back after a seemingly innocuous tackle from Geelong opponent Bruhn and was taken to the rooms as a precaution. The Blues later explained he was winded. He showed no signs of discomfort in the final term when dashing from the centre square to nail a goal.

Absent: Weitering sat on the sidelines, but Hansen said the Blues were confident he would be right next week, and expected he would go straight to Curnow. “It’s a logical match up, isn’t it?” he said. The Blues were also without Adam Cerra (hamstring), Blake Acres (shoulder) and Nic Newman (playing reserves).

Kelly is hopeful Jeremy Cameron can overcome a quad issue before next week. The Cats play the Suns on the Gold Coast. “As far as I know, he should be fine,” Kelly said. He also expected Bailey Smith would return from a calf complaint, but did not have a timeline on when Gryan Miers (thumb) would be back. The Cats were also without Rhys Stanley (managed), Jack Bowes (managed) and Tyson Stengle (returning from personal leave).

What the coaches said

Hansen on Carlton’s ball movement. “That last kick is just so critical in footy,” he said. “Certainly the personnel we’ve got, the availability of some players that were already here, and the work we’ve put into it, hopefully, all is the combination of a lot of things that helps us be better in our front half and increase our efficiency.”

Kelly said Geelong focused on interchange rotations “We had a bit of a priority with getting enough game time into a few players,” he said. “So I like that we were able to do that. I think we’re pretty close to the rotation tab we would have next week, which is good. Didn’t love the way we started. I thought they were probably a bit sharper around the ball.”

The verdict

The Blues have a pulse. They are setting up for quick ball movement off half-back through Oliver Florent, Zac Williams and Adam Saad. But it’s the next kick that will tell all when the pressure ramps up next week. The inclusion of Smith and a fit-and-firing Walsh helps. But they only played a Geelong side idling in second gear. The forward line – Harry McKay, Brodie Kemp and a raft of small forwards – will demand better ball use.

Geelong’s improvement in the bid to catch Brisbane could come from its midfield. Bruhn and Worpel are not match winners but provide needed depth. Holmes continues to excel and might emerge as a Brownlow Medal hope. The new ruck rules will suit the lighter frame of De Koning. Their forward line will be better served if veteran pair Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield stay injury free.

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