Geelong coach Chris Scott has plenty of selection scenarios to ponder ahead of Friday night's preliminary final but it doesn't appear that dropping Jimmy Bartel is one of them.
The Cats coach is in the enviable position of having a squad of 30 fit and in-form players to choose from as he prepares for the clash against Sydney at the MCG.
"It's good for the footy club and it's good for the team that we've got lots of options, but we'll have disappointed players and unlucky players to miss out," Scott said.
Bartel's place in the side has been a source of much conjecture after some indifferent performances at the back end of the season.
But Scott gave every indication the 32-year-old will face the Swans when he spoke to reporters after Tuesday's training session.
"There are a lot of players who are in our team who aren't absolutely guaranteed a spot, but Jimmy is much more likely than unlikely (to play) and that's been the case for a long time," he said.
"I understand that it attracts a lot of attention because he's been a champion player and he's towards the end of his career, but we've been pretty consistent all year that we don't announce our team on Tuesday.
"We've got a bit to work through just yet but the guys who played in our last game are all in the box seat to play this week."
The Cats are likely to make at least one change to the team that earned a week off when they squeezed past Hawthorn by two points in their qualifying final.
Defender Lachie Henderson has fully recovered from the knee surgery he underwent after round 22 and Scott hinted his ability to play at either end of the ground could see him force his way in.
"I think against Sydney that flexibility is going to be important," he said.
"For obvious reasons the focus can be on (Lance Franklin) and Tom Lonergan has traditionally taken him but having the capacity to have different players who can help out in that area would be an asset.
"We think we've got pretty good flexibility in our squad and irrespective of the final 22 we go with we've got confidence that we've got a few guys who can play at either end of the ground.
"Lachie is certainly one of them."
The Swans are limping into the preliminary final by comparison, but Scott said he will spend little time trying to figure out if injured trio Jarrad McVeigh, Callum Mills and Gary Rohan will recover in time to play.
Sydney ruck-forward Kurt Tippett has been cleared to return from a fractured jaw that kept him from the Swans' semi-final win over Adelaide.
