Geelong captain Joel Selwood facing race against time for semi-final

Geelong are backing inspirational captain Joel Selwood to produce a trademark display of toughness and courage, and play in next week’s semi-final despite having surgery on his finger yesterday. Selwood dislocated the middle finger on his left hand during Thursday night’s loss to Port Adelaide in South Australia. The club’s medical staff spent an extended period on the sidelines trying to fix the problem during the match, but he did too much damage to the joint in the middle of the finger and required surgery. The triple premiership winning midfielder spent last night in a Brisbane hospital. The Cats will play against the winner of tonight’s match between West Coast and Collingwood, and onballer Mitch Duncan said he’d be shocked if Selwood didn’t play. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Duncan said. “He’s been through a lot in his time. He’s obviously a great player and a really important player for us. I’m sure he’ll do everything right to be ready to play. “Even if it wasn’t Joel, I’d say most players would be doing everything they can to play in a final. It’s Joel. He’ll play I would have thought.” Selwood has never missed a final throughout his 307-game career and has a proven history of playing through pain. The Cats tried to look after him during the year and he ws playing just his second game since round 12 after being given extra time to recover from a knee injury. The 32-year-old was one of Geelong’s best players during the 16-point loss. He collected 16 disposals, six clearances and kicked one goal. If Selwood isn’t available, it could open the door for Jack Steven to return. The former St Kilda midfielder was dropped for the qualifying final but was listed as one of the emergencies. He played in a practice match involving the Cats, Richmond and Port Adelaide players on the Gold Coast today. The Power flew a group of players, including Justin Westhoff and Cam Sutcliffe, to Queensland to play in the reserves game. A veteran of 192 AFL games for both St Kilda and Geelong, Steven has played in only one final throughout his career. That was in 2011 and the Saints lost the match to Sydney.