Track watch: Holmes brothers face off as Geelong recruit James Worpel makes strong first impression
The Holmes brothers went toe-to-toe at training in a baptism of fire for the Cats draftee. Plus, a recruit looms as a bargain and another draftee is hoping to emulate a Cats young gun.
It was a baptism of fire for draftee Hunter Holmes in his second session as a Cat, going toe-to-toe with his older brother Max in a midfield drill at Waurn Ponds Deakin University.
Hunter, underdeveloped like Max was when he arrived at the Cattery, got spooked in one contest with a fumble as he attempted to pick up the footy.
As any older brother would, dual Carji Greeves medallist Max jokingly got in Hunter’s ear and gave him a pat on the back.
The eldest Holmes also gave himself some flak during the drill when he shanked a kick to a leading target.
“Bit of fun being on him. He gets into me a little bit, but it’s good,” Hunter said with a smile.
An explosive yet raw 188cm midfielder, Hunter broke away and hit a target lace out moments after his fumble and received praise from his older sibling and teammates.
Max showed off his own blistering speed by putting on the afterburners to escape Hunter’s clutches like they were in the backyard of their childhood home.
The brotherly duel wasn’t the only full-circle moment for Hunter, linking up with his Prahran under-12s coach Nathan Buckley, now a Cats assistant.
“It’s pretty cool to have that full circle moment that I’m back with him and he’s obviously got a lot of experience. He’s a great coach, so he’s been unreal,” Hunter said.
Buckley was a “real gentle” coach to his son Jett and Hunter back then, but the former Collingwood leader has been hands on to start his coaching comeback.
The 53-year-old wrapped up Lawson Humphries in a tackle on Monday and on Wednesday he was offering words of advice to plenty of players, including Ollie Dempsey and draftee Jesse Mellor.
Geelong’s top draft selection Harley Barker, a keen observer on the sidelines after an ACL rupture midway through the year, said Buckley has caught his eye on the track.
“I was watching him before, he’s moving pretty well. He looks good out there, could probably still put the kit on, I reckon,” Barker said.
“But he’s good, I get talking to him when I’m out there watching the boys, and get a little insight off him.”
Hunter was surrounded by family and friends, including Max and their mother, two-time Olympian Lee Naylor, when the Cats called his name with pick 33 last week.
The outcome didn’t come as a complete shock.
“Had a bit of an idea, and I was really hoping for it. But the way the draft goes, you never know what’s going to happen,” Hunter said.
“It was pretty emotional. They’ve all been hoping for this outcome the whole year. So a couple of tears, but a lot of lot of smiles. It was really good.”
STRONG FIRST IMPRESSION
Former Hawthorn midfielder James Worpel, hailing from nearby Bannockburn, and fringe midfielder Mitch Knevitt were in the same midfield group as the Holmes brothers, with the pair also back early among Geelong’s first-to-four year players.
They say first impressions are everything and Worpel has been a standout in his first week as a Cat, following an injury-affected and inconsistent campaign.
Worpel, 26, flew under the radar during the trade period and looms as a bargain recruit, given the Cats acquired him for nothing as a free agent and his salary only triggered an end of second round pick for Hawthorn.
Another who has returned early with fire in the belly is forward Ollie Henry.
The 23-year-old fell out of favour in 2025, managing 15 games – four of those sub-affected – for a return of 14 majors.
Henry shone with 78 goals in his first two seasons at Geelong and showed signs of that form with a strong leaping grab in a one-on-one contest during the session.
Utility Jhye Clark has been on a modified training program in his first week back but upped his intensity with high speed running on Wednesday.
Clark broke into the Cats side in the preliminary final and impressed as the substitute, earning him a grand final spot.
Tanner Bruhn made his official training return on Monday but wasn’t on the track on Wednesday.
STARSTRUCK
There are plenty of familiar faces for Hunter at Geelong, and he can’t wait to meet Max’s partner in crime Bailey Smith.
“He’s a good character, and a great player, so that will be pretty cool,” Hunter said.
For Barker, who will wear champion Tom Hawkins’ famous No.26, the move to Geelong has been much more of a whirlwind.
“The history is massive, knowing that they’re pretty successful over the years,” Barker said.
“The people that come through the club are pretty good, pretty big names like the Selwoods and the Hawkins.”
Geelong vice-captain Tom Stewart faces a delayed start to pre-season with a wrist injury, but he was the first Cat on the phone to the South Australian when his name was called.
However, it was captain Patrick Dangerfield and Dempsey, who Barker models his game on, who had him starstruck on Monday.
“Danger came up and had a chat with him. It’s pretty cool talking to him and then Ollie Dempsey come over,” Barker said.
“So a player I play like and looked up to throughout the year, they’re both standing right in front of me, it was pretty cool.”
The meeting was also surreal for Dangerfield.
“The opening line was, ‘This is my 19th season’. So that made him feel really old already, just coming up to me and I said ‘I’m 18’ and he’s going into his 19 pre-season, which is just crazy,” Barker chuckled.
DEMPSEY CLONE?
The Cats were stoked to get Barker at pick 24.
A lively 188cm wingman who was an All-Australian with South Australia at the national championships, Barker slid in estimations after an ACL rupture in his first game back for Sturt after the carnival.
The blow could sideline him for the entire 2026 season, but the Cats were happy to take the punt after he was rigorously assessed by their medical team.
“It’s always there, it’s always a given that clubs are a bit iffy about it. But it is what it is and I know that I will come back and hopefully get into games as quick as I can and show I can play at AFL level,” Barker said.
“I don’t really mind if I don’t have to play at all next year, it’s just taking my time. Hopefully if I have to miss out next year, I can come back the year later. And keep playing from then and hopefully have a long career.
“They (Geelong) said that they were pretty happy that I slid down to them and they were pretty over the moon that they got to call my name out.
“They just love the thing I bring into the games, my kick, my aerial stuff, and a bit of flair as well, which I love hearing from people, which I like doing in games as well.
That exciting combination is why the Mount Barker product believes he can emulate Dempsey at the Cats.
But just a debut in the hoops would mean the world.
“I love the game. And if I can even play one AFL game, I’ll be over the moon,” Barker said.
“Hopefully once I’m back up and running, I can get into the team and prove that I can stay in it and show a bit of flair and hopefully play a bit like Ollie Dempsey.”
Originally published as Track watch: Holmes brothers face off as Geelong recruit James Worpel makes strong first impression
Why Bloods recruit rejected Tigers and co for Sydney move
