Eight reasons to get excited about Geelong in 2020
Gary Ablett, Tom Hawkins, Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield are all the wrong side of 30, but that might not be a bad thing for Geelong’s 2020 hopes. Here’s eight reasons for Cats fans to get excited.
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What to make of the Cats in 2020.
Stacked with top-end talent, Geelong’s youth group looks set to come of age this season.
And that’s good news for fans.
Here’s Chris Cavanagh’s eight reasons to get excited about the Cats.
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1. PRIME TIME
It would seem 2020 is the year that Geelong must go all the way if they are to win a premiership with their current playing group. The Cats have the fourth-oldest playing list in the competition, set to start next season with an average age of 24.22. Gary Ablett is 35, Harry Taylor is 33, Tom Hawkins and Joel Selwood are both 31, Zach Tuohy is 30 and Patrick Dangerfield will be 30 in April. Taylor has said the reason he decided to play on for a 13th season was to “help the team win a premiership in 2020” and Ablett has spoken along similar lines. The Cats need to capitalise while their experienced stars remain, and the belief is clearly there that they can.
2. MASTER ABLETT
He has been the one of the greatest players in a generation and Gary Ablett is set to continue adding to his already impressive resume in his 19th season in 2020. Ablett is on track to play his 350th AFL game against St Kilda in Round 5 and will climb into the top-10 on the all-time games played list if he is able to line up in every game of the home-and-away season. The milestones will be more feathers in the cap of The Little Master, who is already a two-time Brownlow Medal winner, two-time premiership player, eight-time All-Australian and six-time club best-and-fairest. One of the most celebrated players in the Cats’ history is sure to be celebrated even more in his final year.
3. MIDFIELD STRENGTH
The Cats were devastated to lose 2019 All-Australian Tim Kelly, but fulfilled his wish to return home to Western Australia for family reasons and join West Coast during the trade period. Kelly was Geelong’s second-ranked player last season, averaging 25.4 disposals and 104 SuperCoach ranking points. However, despite his loss the Cats’ midfield remains well stocked and Champion Data ranks it the fourth-best engine room in the competition in terms of individual talent. Dangerfield leads the charge and was the third-ranked midfielder in the competition for total SuperCoach ranking points last season, while Mitch Duncan and Selwood made for three Cats among the top 43 on-ballers in the competition. The Cats also have some strong second-strings in Cameron Guthrie, Brandon Parfitt and Jordan Clark – the latter two of whom they will be hoping can further grow their games in 2020.
4. STEVEN ARRIVAL
Geelong might have snagged what could prove the steal of the 2019 trade period by securing Jack Steven from St Kilda in exchange for pick 58. Steven is a four-time Saints best-and-fairest with 183 games of AFL experience behind him who has been part of leadership groups in the past. While personal issues restricted Steven to just seven games last season, the midfielder averaged 27 disposals, 4.7 inside-50s, 5.5 clearances and 95 SuperCoach ranking points in 2018. At 29 years old, the Cats will be hoping he can return to health and play a leading role through the midfield in 2020.
5. JENKINS ARRIVAL
Former Adelaide forward Josh Jenkins is a polarising player and spent a large chunk of last season running around in the reserves at the Crows. However, the Cats would not have snapped him up during the trade period if they did not believe he could play a significant part in their forward line. Consistency of performance has not been a strength of Jenkins, particularly in recent years, but his best football does dazzle. Jenkins kicked four goals twice from 11 games last season and across his 147-game career he has booted a bag of eight majors as well as two hauls of seven goals. The 30-year-old was one of just 16 players to average two goals or more a game last season — something he has done for the past six years. If the Cats can get 40 goals out of him they will be thrilled.
6. FIT COCKATOO
He has played two games in two years due to a raft of injuries but Geelong fans are still holding out hope exciting midfielder-forward Nakia Cockatoo can get his body right and live up to his potential. The 23-year-old was given a one-year contract extension in August in a major show of faith from the Cats, who are hoping it pays off. He started pre-season training well, making an impression in the opening weeks, and coach Chris Scott has indicated he is very keen to see Cockatoo become a strong contested midfielder and will not be afraid to give him an early opportunity at senior level next season if he completes the majority of his summer program.
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7. THE UNDER-23s
While they have a strong crop of experienced heads, the Cats also have some of the best under-23 players in the competition. Midfielder Charlie Constable (20), forward Gryan Miers (20) and wingman Jordan Clark (19) were all Rising Star nominees last season. Defenders Jack Henry (21) and Mark O’Connor (22), midfielder Brandan Parfitt (21) and forward Esava Ratugolea (21) have all got some good senior experience under their belts in recent years and similarly have plenty of upside which bodes well for the Cats not only in 2020 but for many years to come.
8. TWO TOP-20s
The national draft normally delivers some excitement for fans about the following season and Geelong had not one but two top-20 selections in November. The Cats secured local boy Cooper Stephens at No. 16, a composed Geelong Falcons midfielder who broke his leg after just three games in the NAB League last season but had still done enough to stay high on the draft boards of many clubs. At No. 19 they got developing key defender Sam De Koning, the brother of Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning. While De Koning would be unlikely to make a Round 1 debut, Stephens could certainly feature early in 2020 if he gets a full pre-season behind him.