The Cats are a classic case of the walking wounded following their brutal encounter with Gold Coast last week and in need of reinforcements.

Kolodjashnij has been named in the preliminary 25-man squad to take on North Melbourne at Kardinia Park.

The 19-year-old has played well in the VFL this season and would be a like-for-like replacement for the heavily concussed Tom Lonergan, who was stretchered from the field after a collision with Sam Day on Sunday.

‘‘With regard to some of the questions around availability and that sort of thing, we’ll be in a better place in 24 hours than we are now,’’ Geelong coach Chris Scott said on Thursday afternoon.

‘‘It is a bit hard to tell at the moment [how Lonergan is recovering] ... they [the doctors] say it is uncertain.’’

Scott said Kolodjashnij, Sam Blease and Dean Gore were all a chance to play senior football.

‘‘We need to think whether he [Kolodjashnij] makes the final 22 but his performances at VFL level have warranted consideration at AFL level.

‘‘If he plays, we’ll have a lot of confidence that he’ll do the job.’’

Kolodjashnij was Geelong’s third selection in the 2013 national draft, the same year that his twin brother Kade went to the Suns where he has since played 22 matches and been a Rising Star nominee.

The Cats will definitely be without Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel, defender Andrew Mackie and midfielder Mathew Stokes.

Star forward Tom Hawkins, who is named in the squad, is also a question mark after his mother’s death.

Meanwhile the Kangaroos have named injured midfielder Jack Ziebell to play in the all important encounter, despite him spending two nights in hospital with a bruised lung this week.