GEELONG defender Andrew Mackie is in doubt for the Easter Monday blockbuster against Hawthorn with hamstring tightness.
Mackie was restricted to light running duties at Geelong training on Tuesday but coach Chris Scott was tight-lipped about his fitness.
The running defender was subbed out in the third quarter of his team’s victory over the Eagles on Saturday night and would be a considerable loss for the Cats against the Hawks.
"We haven't ruled him [Mackie] out, but he's not a certainty either," Scott told media on Tuesday.
"The nine-day break is a little bit of a luxury. We'd probably have to be further along in our decision-making if we were playing on Saturday.
"But given it's a Monday game, he's got a bit more time and we'll delay the decision as well.
"These things are normally quite definitive: you’ve either got a strain or you haven't. This one's not as definitive.”
The Cats coach did say though, will err on the side of caution with the star defender.
"We don't take risks with injured players, but the advice that we've got at this stage is that it's possible that he will play,” he said.
Mackie is an important player for the Cats, with his line-breaking run coupled with his exceptional one-on-one defence one of the reasons why they are able to set up counterattacks from the back half.
He is normally Geelong’s go-to attacking defender and is ranked number one at the club for rebound 50s.
He is also a player who is rarely interchanged, averaging more than 86 per cent of game time this season.
Mackie was well held against the Hawks in last year’s Preliminary Final though, where he managed just 13 touches at 46.2 per cent efficiency but was named in Geelong's best in the Round 1 and Round 15 meetings between the two sides.
In Round 1 he had 25 disposals, took nine marks, had six rebound 50s and kicked a goal, while in Round 15 he managed 22 touches, eight marks, four rebound 50s and three inside 50s.
But he has been a player who has hurt the Hawks in the past, averaging 16 touches in 18 games but it is more his defence and ability to play on both talls and smalls where his true value lies.
