Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel has been ruled out of Geelong's side to face Adelaide on Sunday despite passing a battery of concussion tests.

Bartel was concussed during last week's AFL clash with St Kilda and was carefully managed through this week.

Football manager Neil Balme said that the Cats may be "over-cautious" in leaving Bartel on the sidelines for a week.

"He's had all sorts of tests during the week and he trained this morning and trained well," Balme said.

"We're not concerned, we are pretty happy with where he is.

"We don't think it would be a great risk (to play him) but whatever risk there is we are not prepared to take it.

"We're probably being over-cautious and it doesn't mean that the next player to get concussed won't play the following week," he said.

Balme denied a report that Bartel has failed a final concussion test on Saturday morning.

"That's not right - he trained and he was pretty good," he said.

"Shannon Byrnes will come into the side and Josh Cowan comes in on the emergency list."

The Cats will line up at home at Skilled Stadium but are missing several key players including Josh Hunt and Matthew Stokes, who are both suspended and injured veteran Darren Milburn.

Essendon's 65-point loss to Hawthorn on Friday night carried extra pain with hamstring injuries to captain Jobe Watson and David Myers and a season-ending injury to Sam Lonergan.

"It's not good news," said Bombers coach James Hird.

"Jobe has done a small hamstring in his other leg - from the one he did four weeks ago - and he'll miss three weeks.

"Dave Myers has a small hamstring and will miss three weeks and Sam Lonergan - at the moment looks like a grade three medial ligament which will keep him out for the rest of the year.

"It may need an operation - we'll wait and see over the next couple of days," Hird said.

Hawthorn did not escape unscathed but appear to have smaller issues with stars Cyril Rioli and Brad Sewell ahead of next week's blockbuster against Collingwood.

Rioli suffered a hamstring strain while Swell was substituted at half- time with a knee injury.

But coach Alastair Clarkson is optimistic the pair will not be out for long, if at all.

"We don't think either of them are too serious," Clarkson said. "They might be a week or two, or they might be nothing."

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