Geelong coach Chris Scott has ruled out Brandan Parfitt for an AFL clash he describes as the ultimate test for the ladder leaders.
Scott says Parfitt, suffering from a thigh injury, won't play at home against reigning premiers West Coast on Sunday.
But experienced backman Zach Tuohy is "in the frame" to play his first AFL game of the season after overcoming a knee injury.
"It's a problem for Zach because he reckons he was ready five weeks ago, so his credibility is absolutely shot at the moment," Scott told reporters in Geelong on Thursday.
"He is just going to have to back us that we make a good decision."
The Cats sit atop the ladder with four wins and a loss but Scott said their encounter with the Eagles would prove enlightening.
"Playing the premier from last year is kind of as good as it gets in trying to work out where we are," he said.
"We still rate them really, really highly; I think the rest of the competition does.
"They had a slip-up last week ...but a lot of the really good teams have slip-ups every now and again, they just tend not to last too long.
"So in analysing their team, there aren't too many flaws.
"They have actually been a really mature group for a long period of time, I think that has snuck up on people over the last year or two.
"They're seasoned in all parts of the ground and some of the youth they have (are) ... pretty electrifying players who top them off quite nicely."
Scott said he won't delve into the successful tactics of Port Adelaide, who downed the Eagles in Perth last weekend.
"It's folly in my view to pay too much attention to the way the opposition play," he said.
"Because, one, if we try to copy it we will just be a poor imitation.
"And, two, we think we have got some strengths.
"We don't really feel at the moment that we need to completely manufacture our game style week-to-week to be competitive."
