Geelong ball magnet Mathew Stokes could return to full training as early as next week.
Stokes injured his ankle against Gold Coast in round 14, with Saturday's AFL match against Melbourne to be his third game on the sidelines.
"Ligaments are hard - you have to wait for them to heal but this one seems to have turned a corner," Geelong physio Mark Young said on the club website.
"He's had a couple of runs now and he'll look to join the main group next week. We expect he's about two or three (weeks) away."
Stokes had been one of the Cats' best in the opening half of the season.
Josh Caddy, who will play his 50th game when the Cats tackle the Demons at the MCG, is still gaining match fitness after breaking his foot in an innocuous training incident.
Caddy was the substitute in the first two AFL matches he played after overcoming the injury, but returned to the starting side last Sunday.
"That was my first full game in the AFL since round three against Collingwood," Caddy said of the last-start win over the Western Bulldogs.
"I started well and drifted out of the game.
"The focus for me personally is to be a bit more consistent - probably for the side (it's the same). We've played really good footy in patches and some poor footy as well."
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