AFL round 13: Jack Martin opens up on Geelong debut, fitness change for AFL third chance

Jack Martin slotted in seamlessly for Geelong on debut against his first old side, and it was an early meeting that set a seven-month plan towards another recruiting coup.

Jack Martin’s Geelong debut may have been a “full circle” moment but it was also a brand new experience after a patient retooling of his body opened the door to a brand new role.

The highly talented Martin had played 151 games for Gold Coast and Carlton across 11 seasons primarily as a midfield-forward, and appeared to be on track to play that role again at a third club, likely Fremantle, before Geelong called.

From the start, the Cats had him pegged for a role across half-back, and he looked comfortable there in a 12-disposal outing to beat his first old team, the Suns, on Saturday.

Martin, 29, has always had AFL talent, but his body has only allowed him to play more than 16 games twice in his 11 seasons before joining the Cats.

Jack Martin on the move in his first game for the Cats. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

When he arrived at his third club, he was put on a meticulous individual program and didn’t play until a VFL half in May.

“We sort of stripped it right back from when I stepped into the footy club and had a holistic approach to building my body again,” he said.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot now to play some good footy.

“Just getting stronger in certain areas and then obviously, I have been training for a long time. So it was just conditioning the body to football again.”

Cats coach Chris Scott said playing Martin behind the ball was something “we always had in mind” before he was recruited.

Martin himself was set to play at a different third club – he wouldn’t confirm which but is understood Fremantle pitched for his services – before the Cats called.

A role popping into some centre bounces and floating to half-back meant Martin had to rebuild his fitness base.

Off the field, like many before him, Martin has enjoyed the more casual work-life balance in Geelong, with his young daughter Rosie clearly a hit around the club, charging around the changerooms with Martin’s No.19 bedazzled on a Cats jacked during the Saturday post-match.

“We were going somewhere else and obviously Geelong called and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he said.

“Thinking back to that initial meeting, which would have been November with Scotty and Mack (footy boss Andrew Mackie), I just said ‘I am open to playing any role for the team’.

“That’s what we looked at and spoke about, having the game in front of you. Playing that half-forward role is really ballistic, you are getting up and back and sort of being able to read the game a little better.

“Obviously defending hard and just seeing the game in front of you and playing from there.”

Geelong’s deep list and good form meant there was never a push on to force Martin into the team.

Martin gets into it against one of his old teams. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“I was never rushed,” he said.

“I knew even if I had to play VFL for 4-5 weeks, I was happy to do that, knowing that I would be building my fitness base and playing that VFL football and be ready when that time comes. This week it just happened and it happened to be against my old team. It was nice to get a win over them as well.”

Martin said it was “very weird” to play his first game in the hoops against his first club, even if the Suns were now wearing pink.

Martin’s first AFL game was against Richmond but he got injured early, and his first full game came against Geelong in round 14, 2014.

David Swallow as the only Sun playing that day and on Saturday, while Gary Ablett watched from the GMHBA Stadium stands.

“I also played my 100th game here (in Geelong) so it was really full circle. Some of those boys were here (at the game) so it was good to catch up with them,” he said.

FORGET THE BROWNLOW BATTLE, THIS ONE WAS ALL ABOUT MAX

It was billed as a Brownlow Battle in Geelong.

Instead, another shrewd Chris Scott surprise meant Noah Anderson was blanketed out of any votes as Bailey Smith watched on as Max Holmes galloped past them all.

A murmur went around GMHBA Stadium when Smith pulled out on the eve of the match with a tight hamstring but it mattered little to the Cats as they bruised the Suns in a 24-point win.

It was a win that cemented Geelong’s top-four credentials and raised another question mark about how genuine Gold Coast is in the premiership race.

And it was a win that began in a tactical tussle between superstar coaches Chris Scott and Damien Hardwick.

Having used one Irishman in Oisin Mullin to good effect as a tagger this year, Scott’s first surprise was going to a different one and handing the job of curbing a red-hot Noah Anderson to Mark O’Connor.

Anderson had 42 touches and booted two goals in a rout of Geelong in Darwin last year and the Cats refused to get beaten that way again.

In 46 minutes on the Suns skipper in the first half, O’Connor had nine disposals to Anderson’s four.

By the end of the night, in 82 minutes next to each other, the superb O’Connor won the disposal count 16-10.

There will be no round 13 votes for N. Anderson on the Monday before the grand final and there will be none for B. Smith either.

Anderson’s fellow betting favourite for the Brownlow, Smith dressed for the game and went through a fitness test on his sore right hamstring before pulling out of the match.

He was then dressed for a quick ski trip to Aspen as he watched the game in a thick jacket to ward off the Geelong frost from the stands.

Stengle as straight as an arrow 🏹#AFLCatsSunspic.twitter.com/znN1cH32ow

— AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025

Max Holmes charges clear of Matt Rowell during Geelong’s victory.

Anderson ended his night in the arms of the trainers after a brutal bump to the ribs from Cats ace Tom Stewart.

“(I hope) first and foremost that he’s OK. But anytime there’s head impact you can’t help but think the player that bumps has got (something to) answer,” Cats great Tom Hawkins said on Fox Footy.

The Suns skipper had a SCAT test at the ground and later left Kardinia Park for scans on his ribs.

Anderson was cleared of concussion.

Never destined for the dole queue, Mullin did have a job, sent to manage Touk Miller for most of the night.

The best influence Miller had on the game was his pulled-up baby pink socks, with the hard worker limited to 20 disposals.

Scott’s this midfield trick was to pull Smith’s running mate Holmes off the back of the many, many around the ground stoppages through the night.

Holmes was able to run free around the contest and was clearly the biggest driving force in the game, as he racked up a career-best 40 disposals.

Holmes has likely not played a better match in 88 previous matches, and when he gets the chance to run and chew up metres like a midfield Pac Man he is among the very best onballers in the game.

With Anderson quelled, Tom Atkins was every bit as good in the clinches as Matt Rowell and Gryan Miers continued his superb form as one of footy’s great midfield linkers.

Tom Stewart bump on Noah Anderson

In a game where few forwards had a say, Tyson Stengle’s return to form with four majors was another difference maker.

The Cats will monitor the ankle of big man Shannon Neale before a meeting with Essendon next week, with Neale subbed off in the second term.

The coaching arm wrestle wasn’t all one way, as Hardwick manufactured a second-quarter surge by evening up the numbers ahead of the ball, but his team was well beaten around that 15-minute patch.

This year the Cats are doing as the Cats do, quietly piling up wins, with a favourable draw to come.

As the name suggests, there is only room for a certain amount in the top four, and Geelong should be heading for another double chance.

Right now the Suns are out of the four, and despite also having a good run home, failed a test of toughness and smarts in Geelong.

Originally published as AFL round 13: Jack Martin opens up on Geelong debut, fitness change for AFL third chance