Geelong Cats: Every players chance of senior debut in 2024
Geelong added eight players to its list in the off-season, and with four other players without a senior game, there could be up to 12 debuts in 2024. We break down every uncapped player’s chances of selection this season.
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Geelong had its biggest haul at the draft since 2018 when seven new players landed at the Cattery in 2023.
But with a number of Cats who had been picked up before the national draft who also have not made their debuts in the hoops, there could be up to 12 debuts in 2024.
The footy experts at the Addy have broken down each players’ chance of making the senior side at some stage in 2024, with some predictions on when players could crack the best 23.
Connor O’Sullivan
18 years old
Key Defender
2024 Debut: Lock
If Geelong’s top pick in the 2023 draft does not play in round 1 against St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium, it would be a shock. The key defender is fast-becoming one of coach Chris Scott’s favourite toys, with the Cats trialling O’Sullivan on a wing, in the ruck and through the midfield during training drills and match simulation. While Jack Henry is expected to be fully available when the club returns to training in January, Geelong did lose Esava Ratugoela to Port Adelaide in the off-season. There is likely a key position hole in defence O’Sullivan could fill with his 198cm, 92kg frame. He dominated pre-season running tests, showing off his elite endurance and his ball use for a young tall was elite. While Mark Blicavs is an easy comparison for a key defender-turn midfielder who shares a changeroom with O’Sullivan, the 11th overall selection in last year’s draft should be trying to emulate Marcus Bontempelli’s rise as a midfielder, such is O’Sullivan’s elite ball use and fitness.
Shaun Manangh
26 years old
Small Forward
2024 Debut: Lock
Teams don’t draft 26 year olds from the VFL in order to play them in the VFL, and the Cats especially will look to slot Mannagh into the senior side as soon as there is an opening. The former Werribee goalkicker will have stiff competition in Geelong’s senior side, with Gryan Miers, Brad Close, Tyson Stengle, Gary Rohan and Ollie Henry all playing consistent senior football in 2023. However, the Cats’ forward production dropped off last year, and with Miers pushing further up the ground Geelong is likely to experiment with the forward mix. Stengle needs to find the form he had in 2022 when he booted 50+ goals and was an All Australian, while the Cats’ coaching staff needs to figure out how Rohan and Henry, two medium sized lead up marking targets, can play together. With plenty of decisions to be made about the forward line during the pre-season, Mannagh will be right in the conversation for a potential round 1 debut.
Mitchell Edwards
18 years old
Ruck
2024 Debut: Unlikely
The Cats took one of the best rucks available in the draft when Mitch Edwards fell to pick 32, however Edwards will sit pretty far back in the pecking order in 2024. At 206cm tall, Edwards definitely has the height to ruck well in the AFL, but the 18 year old only weighs 88kgs and would struggle to compete with mature-bodied rucks like Fremantle’s Sean Darcy or Carlton’s Marc Pittonet. Young Cat Toby Conway is expected to compete for the mantle of number one ruck in Geelong, but Rhys Stanley has performed that role admirably for a number of years, while Mark Blicavs is playing as a midfielder who can pinch hit in the ruck. It is likely Edwards is the fourth-string ruck behind the more experienced trio, and would likely have to compete against the 24-year-old rookie Joe Furphy and the 197cm utility Phoenix Foster if there was a run of injuries in 2024.
George Stevens
18 years old
Inside Midfielder
2024 Debut: Likely
Stevens is the most physically-ready midfielder that has come through the draft in recent years, however he slid to the Cats with the 58th pick after being touted as a potential first round selection. Stevens ran an impressive 6.37 2km time trial at the draft combine, yet weighed 100kgs as an 189cm midfielder. He has since trimmed down substantially since entering the doors at GMHBA Stadium, with the Cats reporting the midfielder weighs 90kgs. An inside midfielder in a squad that has lacked an inside midfielder, Stevens will likely be right on the edge of selection, and if Cam Guthrie struggles with his fitness early in the season after a wretched 2023, the 18 year old could be a chance at an early debut. It would be surprising if Stevens does not ultimately get a game in 2024, considering the transition that Geelong’s midfield is going through. Stevens played VFL football for Geelong in 2023, so coaches would have had a real chance to see how he works against mature bodies, and some awareness of the Cats’ system would also help him press for an early debut.
Lawson Humphries
20 years old
Winger
2024 Debut: Smoky
Typically, players selected at pick 63 are not high up on the list of players to debut early, but the 20 year old is already a club favourite at the Cattery. Humphries could play as a half back, winger or small forward, with great footy IQ and ball use. Humphries would be one of Geelong’s best ball users by foot, with coaches genuinely questioning whether he is a left or right footer. Humphries could easily continue impressing through the pre-season and be a chance at debuting in 2024. Expect Humphries to become a fan favourite and cult figure with an eccentric personality.
Oliver Wiltshire
21 years old
Medium forward
2024 Debut: Unlikely
The local talent nabbed from Barwon Heads would be an amazing story if he can get a debut in 2024, but in reality Wiltshire is an incredibly raw forward who has some great traits. Wiltshire has impressed early in his first pre-season, but would play a similar role to Ollie Henry, who booted 40 goals in 2023 and is locked into Geelong’s best 23. Wiltshire would need to add a bit of size and impress in VFL games to be a chance at a debut, after recording an official weight of 67kg. But with great goalsense and football traits, Wiltshire could be a great addition to the Cats.
Phoenix Foster
19 years old
Key Forward
2024 Debut: Unlikely
Going into his second year, Foster’s first full pre-season has been impacted with a foot injury, however the 19 year old should be a full participant in the Cats’ first session of 2024. A key forward who showed glimpses in the VFL last season and will likely be given plenty of time to continue to develop into an AFL key forward. Shannon Neale is currently ahead of Foster as the first-up key forward, however there is a void that Foster fills after that, with little other competition for the spot. A couple of injuries at senior level could lead to a debut, however with Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins filling out the spine of the side, there is little room for any other tall forwards.
James Willis
20 years old
Inside Midfielder
2024 Debut: Unlikely
It is a do-or-die season ahead for Willis, who will enter his third season on an AFL list without making his debut. The former second-round selection has had a wretched run with injury, kept to just four VFL games in 2022 before signing a one-year extension in June 2023 during his best run of form in the reserve grade. Willis is an inside midfielder that has shown promising signs, but will be fighting Tanner Bruhn, Jhye Clark, Brandan Parfitt, Max Holmes, Mitch Knevitt, and George Stevens as young midfielders looking for a role.
Joe Furphy
24 years old
Ruck
2024 Debut: Unlikely
Furphy signed on at Geelong as a category B rookie, having spent his recent years playing basketball at an elite level. But the 24 year old has fit right in at Geelong, showcasing great athleticism and endurance for a 202cm prospect. Furphy is a true depth ruck option, behind Conway, Stanley and Blicavs, and competing with Edwards, Foster and Neale for a backup role.
Oscar Murdoch
19 years old
Medium Defender
2024 Debut: Unlikely
Another yet-to-debut Cat that is coming out of contract, Murdoch was one of the last players handed an extension for 2024, which means he could be fighting for another deal at the end of the season. The 190cm defender has great versatility in his role, with the ability to play lock down or in an intercept position, which will help him fight for a spot in the best 23. However, Geelong’s back six is pretty set and experienced, so it would take a fair bit to see Murdoch playing senior football in 2024.
Emerson Jeka
22 years old
Key Defender
2024 Debut: Likely
A mature-aged recruit coming from Hawthorn, Jeka was a surprise delisting at Waverley after an injury-riddled start to his career. Jeka made the transition from key forward to key defender and showed glimpses at VFL level, but never got a real run in the AFL in defence. The 22 year old played seven games in his first three seasons with Hawthorn after being selected in the 2019 rookie draft, but did not feature in the AFL in 2023. He signed a one-year deal with Geelong, and would be the first back up behind the trio of Sam De Koning, Jack Henry and Connor O’Sullivan.
Mitch Hardie
26 years old
Inside Midfielder
2024 Debut: Likely
Similarly to Shaun Mannagh, Hardie was picked as a mature-aged midfielder and Geelong is not a side that would stash them in the VFL. Hardie was close to a debut late in the season, and after a pre-season with the club will be a real chance to add to the Cats’ engine room. One Cats official compared Hardie to Adelaide’s Rory Laird in his game style, and he would add another mature body into the midfield mix that would prefer not relying on young players to carry the side’s clearance work.
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Originally published as Geelong Cats: Every players chance of senior debut in 2024
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