AFL 2024: Geelong sweating on star Cameron Guthrie after cruel injury blow in opening seconds

In his first game against AFL opposition in almost a year, one of Geelong’s most important players lasted just seconds. The Cats give an update on his injury.

Cameron Guthrie walks off down the race. Picture: Michael Klein

A “shattering” blow for returning star Cameron Guthrie took the gloss off Geelong’s promising first pre-season hitout as the club sweats on his latest setback following an injury-riddled 2023 campaign.

Guthrie suffered a quad injury in the opening seconds of their 17-point win over Carlton in what was the first kick of the match, falling forward straight to the ground in a seemingly innocuous incident.

The 31-year-old was helped off the ground by trainers before walking down the race with the club saying the 31-year-old was ruled out as a precaution.

Geelong assistant coach James Rahilly confirmed post-game that the club is unaware of the severity of the setback.

It was Guthrie’s first competitive hitout against AFL opposition since round six last year, sidelined by a toe injury that forced him to go under the knife.

The dual Carji Greeves medallist told this publication last week that he was raring to go for this season after a dedicated off-season, where he travelled to America to complete a training block.

Rahilly was the latest in the Cats camp to laud his impressive pre-season and had his fingers crossed for the ball-winner.

Cameron Guthrie suffered an injury blow in the opening seconds. Picture: Michael Klein

“It’s a quad, we don’t know the severity of it, but the quad area,” Rahilly said.

“I haven’t spoken to him, he was over the other side. I’m sure they’ll look at it, we’ll see what’s come from it but he has had a ripping pre-season, hasn’t missed a trick. We’ll see how it plays out.

“As ‘Rahills’ said he’s had a ripping pre-season and it’s shattering but we don’t know the severity of it,” Cats youngster Oliver Dempsey added.

Rahilly, who returned to the club he spent 18 years at as a player and coach after three seasons as an assistant at Adelaide, said the Cats will be striving to prove some people wrong this season.

He was pleased with the performance as the Cats rotated plenty of senior bodies and younger players through the first four periods.

“We want to play at that standard and pushing up and prove a few doubters wrong I reckon. We are obviously a healthy list, it was a good pre-season,” Rahilly said.

“It was hard to narrow the team down, as you could see we had a lot of numbers. The older guys really healthy and want to get gametime into them and then the youngsters coming through, it was good to give them gametime and expose them to the level.”

Rahilly said next week’s community series clash against Essendon will have a greater say on the round one side but he expects there to be a blend of young talent and experienced players in their on-ball brigade.

Prized 2022 draft pick Jhye Clark spent extended time in the midfield alongside the likes of Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes on Thursday.

“We need our bulls in there, we need to win the stoppages but we have got those guys who are underrated runners on the outside as well as being good stoppage players,” Rahilly said.

“That will be the key and what we’ll probably go with round one, that balance inside. We feel we’ve got that with those young guys coming through.”

Originally published as AFL 2024: Geelong sweating on star Cameron Guthrie after cruel injury blow in opening seconds