Geelong coach Chris Scott wants to disprove two theories about his side's vulnerability to pace when the unbeaten Cats meet Carlton in an AFL clash on Friday night.

One is that captain Cameron Ling's lack of zip can be a liability against quick opponents and the other is that the Cats' defence can be undone by speed.

The Blues at Etihad Stadium provide the ultimate testing ground on both fronts.

Scott plans to put Ling head-to-head with Carlton skipper Chris Judd, provided the Cats captain proves he is over a shoulder injury.

"He actually has a pretty good record on him," Scott said.

"I know that the past doesn't count for all that much.

"There's a bit of a view that Lingy's not the quickest player in the competition. I think that's probably generally accepted.

"But he's done pretty well on a lightning-fast player in Judd. We'd like to have him available to do that."

Small forwards Jeff Garlett, Carlton's top goal-kicker so far this season with 17 from seven games, and Eddie Betts, who has 12 majors, will test the Cats' ability to counter a speed-based attack.

"There is a bit of a view out there that their small forwards are very hard to combat, so that's another big challenge for us," Scott said.

"Etihad's a fast track, so we expect the ball to move up and down pretty quickly.

While Scott is confident his defence can cope, past results show there is genuine cause for concern, both about Judd and the pacy forwards.

The Blues have won two of the side's past three meetings.

In their most recent victory, a six-goal win in round five last year, Judd gathered 27 touches, a goal and three Brownlow votes, while Garlett kicked 3.2 among 18 disposals, to attract two votes.

Judd was also among the votes when the Blues surprised Geelong late in the 2009 season.

Scott said veterans Cameron Mooney (knee) and Darren Milburn (back) were likely to return after missing the Magpies clash.

He said untried ruckman Nathan Vardy should make his AFL debut within the next few weeks, possibly against Carlton.

No.1 ruckman Brad Ottens will be rested at some stage, to ensure he makes it through the season, but Scott said he was currently in good shape.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP