Geelong forward Steve Johnson will return to the fray for the reigning premiers against Brisbane this week, for his first game since his three-week suspension for striking Saint Steven Baker.
Coach Mark Thompson says his mercurial forward put out a credible performance on the track on Wednesday.
"He (Johnson) trained well this morning and marked the ball, so he should be fine to go," Thompson told reporters.
Thompson says had Johnson not been sidelined for his indiscretion, he would have been watching from the stands for at least one game, to keep him fresh for September action.
"If he hadn-t got suspended or broken his hand we probably would-ve given him a spell at some stage, because he goes that hard and wears himself out," he said.
"The break-s going to do him the world of good and I think you-ll see a really energetic Steve Johnson hitting the track for the rest of the year."
The two-time premiership coach says tall forward Tom Hawkins put in a solid performance in the VFL on the weekend, and his promotion for the Brisbane game was still up in the air on Wednesday.
"He pulled up pretty well from the game. He played about 70 per cent … he said he felt good and wanted to play a bit more," he said.
"Whether we put him up in the seniors or not is something we have to decide."
Acknowledging Michael Voss' predicament coaching a struggling Lions outfit, Thompson empathised with the three-time premiership player after he too was under intense scrutiny prior to Geelong's stellar season in 2007.
"I feel for all the coaches, all the time," he said.
"It-s a really hard job and this time of year seems to be when some are going okay and they get left alone and some are struggling."
"Although you feel sorry for them, it-s better them than me."
The missing man for Geelong in 2010 is Max Rooke, who has played just one game this season due to a knee injury.
Thompson said Rooke went to the United States to undertake specific training, and the verdict, initially, is that it all went well.
"The guy that trained him was very optimistic, and was very positive about Max's chances this year and next year. It's been a worthwhile exercise so far," Thompson said.
"I'll wait for the doctors and physio guys to sort of work out when he's going to come back (to play)."
"He just trained, he did exercises that he hadn't done here. It was quite aggressive. Max was a bit apprehensive about doing some of them, but he got through it and felt better for it, so it's just a good learning experience."