Ryan Abbott is considering his future at Geelong despite the club’s lack of genuine ruckmen
GEELONG is in the box seat to retain big man Ryan Abbott despite AFL rivals circling the ruckman, with the attraction of playing close to home a key factor in his decision.
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UPDATE: GEELONG is in the box seat to retain big man Ryan Abbott despite AFL rivals circling the ruckman.
Abbott, 27, seems likely to reject more lucrative offers to stay at the Cats.
The Herald Sun reported on Wednesday that Abbott, who made his AFL debut in Round 20 and played four matches including the elimination final loss, has a one-year contract offer on the table from the Cats.
Other clubs might be prepared to pay more — and for longer — but the lure of staying close to home might keep Abbott at Geelong.
“I’m really happy playing footy at Geelong and really happy there as long-term as I can,” he told the Herald Sun.
“I’m a local Geelong boy so I always see myself playing footy down here. I want to be here at Geelong.”
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Abbott’s departure would deepen the Cats’ ruck crisis. Geelong has played with six ruckmen in 12 finals since winning the 2011 premiership with Brad Ottens and Trent West, winning just three of those contests.
While Abbott has only played four games he has shown promising signs - starting well on Friday against Max Gawn and dominating against Fremantle - for a club that cannot depend upon injury-prone Rhys Stanley as their lead ruckman.
“I feel like it’s been a pretty successful year, personally,” Abbott said at the Cats’ Wacky Wednesday post-season function.
“Obviously, we didn’t get as far as we wanted to and we probably should have got as a group.
“Just being able to maintain my form and keeping myself ready to go for when my chance did come and I was able to take it, that was a pretty good milestone to get to get the first game out of the way and try to build on from there.”
Selected with pick 69 in the 2016 draft, the athletic ruckman endured an interrupted campaign in his first year at the Cats but has made good progress in the space of two seasons when he was playing local footy.
“It’s a long way from Burdoo Reserve where I was playing in the GFL (Geelong Football League) every Saturday,” he said.
“You’ve got to pinch yourself occasionally because it is a real privilege to be where i’m at at the moment.”
The Cats will embark upon a comprehensive review of their list management and game strategies but finding a good ruckman is a priority.
The club has had few quality draft picks in recent times, WAFL midfielder Tim Kelly the notable exception after being taken as a mature-ager.
In an encouraging sign emerging star Kelly will remain in Geelong for the next month, determined to fall in love with the city the club hopes he and his family will stay in long-term.
His manager Anthony van der Wielen told the Herald Sun Kelly was determined to get used to Geelong, aware the Cats were unlikely to agree to any trade request this year.
He seems unlikely to sign a contract offer until after the trade period, but van der Wielen said he was determined to warm to the city.
“At this stage he is happy to stay in Geelong. If a really compelling trade came up we would consider it but at this stage he is going to sit it out,” van der Wielen said.
“He is staying in Geelong until their best-and-fairest on October 4. He and his partner have never spent any time in Geelong from a social aspect because she didn’t get over until February.
“His plan is to have a really good look at the town and explore it with his partner.
“Both (WA) clubs have made contact and I am positive both of them will table something in trade week, but I think we know Geelong’s answer unless something compelling comes up or they want to change their list.”
Meanwhile, North Melbourne’s Ben Jacobs is on the brink of a new deal at the Roos after a rollercoaster season consisting of exceptional early form and concussion/neck issues.
Jacobs and the club were at one stage a long apart in contract talks but the club has got to a stage where it believes he will soon join Scott Thompson in signing a new deal.
Essendon will re-sign ruck-forward Shaun McKernan on a two-year deal after a paltry initial offer at one stage saw North Melbourne consider him as a replacement for Jarrad Waite.
McKernan’s initial deal of well under $200,000 a season has been improved given John Worsfold’s determination to keep him, with Essendon’s Mitch Brown still unsigned.
Originally published as Ryan Abbott is considering his future at Geelong despite the club’s lack of genuine ruckmen
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