Star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield will miss Geelong’s clash against North Melbourne due to a calf complaint.

The Cats’ champion has been battling for form since being best on ground in round one with the club admitting after their loss to Hawthorn the 32-year-old had a ‘niggle’ that was impacting his performance.

The club was keen to maintain mystery around the on-ballers’ ailment denying any awareness Dangerfield had a calf issue when The Age approached them on Tuesday.

However, Cats’ coach Chris Scott confirmed the issue Dangerfield had been carrying was exacerbated when he copped a knock early in the Easter Monday clash against Hawthorn.

“He has got a couple of corks in a calf that again, Murphy’s law dictates that what can go wrong will go wrong, and he got a couple of corks right in the spot that had been worrying him,” Scott said.

“That obviously impacted him in the game.”

The issue is not expected to be a long-term problem for Dangerfield who had an outstanding pre-season after he struggled to find form in the back half of 2021 when he made a quick return from a syndesmosis injury but failed to fire.

Geelong made several changes to improve their injury management in the off-season with former player Harry Taylor returning to the club as head of medical services. They are also attempting to give players breaks to ensure they perform at their best when they play.

The Cats have named first-gamer Ollie Dempsey to play after several impressive performances in the VFL. The clever forward was selected in the 2021 rookie draft having played school football with Carey Grammar, after switching from basketball where he played as a point guard.

Dempsey could be the first of several youthful inclusions into the team as they look to reset the team with Cooper Stephens and Francis Evans pushing hard for selection.