All the updates as Geelong gets busy in AFL trade week
One hometown star has arrived in Geelong and another could be within reach. Here’s how the Cats did it.
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Geelong has picked up one hometown target and potentially opened the door to scooping up another after a busy day of trading that netted Geelong Falcons graduate Tanner Bruhn.
Bruhn, a star local junior from Newtown & Chilwell, got his wish of a return to Geelong after spending two years at GWS when the Cats traded their first-round pick (currently No.18) to the Giants for him on Friday.
The Cats then backed that up by offloading picks 38, 48, 55 a future round-two pick and a future round-four pick to the Brisbane Lions for the Lions’ pick No.25.
Geelong will now eye flipping that 25th pick to Collingwood to reel in another local boy, wantaway Magpie Ollie Henry, and the Cats still hold their 2023 first-round choice.
Brisbane meanwhile was looking to stock up on draft points to use on father-son prospects Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher.
Geelong currently only holds picks 25, 58 and 64 in the upcoming draft and will need to send something out to Gold Coast to secure Jack Bowes and the Suns’ No.7 pick.
The Cats and Suns met on Friday to nut out a deal for Bowes, with the AFL involved to work through the finer points of Gold Coast’s dump of Bowes’ salary.
Cats list boss Andrew Mackie said he was “thrilled” to get Bruhn, a former No.12 draft pick, back to Geelong.
The Cats had been keen to improve their future midfield this off-season and have added a blue-chip 20-year-old talent in Bruhn.
“Tanner is a very talented player, who will add to our midfield stocks while also having the versatility to play other positions," Mackie said.
“Tanner had a number of options available to him and we’ve been impressed with the way he has handled himself throughout this period and we’re looking forward to seeing him wearing the hoops in 2023.”
The Bruhn trade left the Giants with a monster haul of early choices for November’s draft as they now boast picks 3, 12, 15, 18, 19 and could get more from Richmond for Jacob Hopper.
Bruhn enjoyed a quiet celebration with his family on Friday after learning of the trade home.
“I’m excited to be joining the Cats and getting back home to Geelong and continuing the next chapter of my career,” he said.
The trade period wraps up on Wednesday.
Why Ollie Henry wants to come home to Geelong
Returning to a “comfortable environment” back in Geelong lured Ollie Henry into pushing for a trade to the Cats as a deal for the Collingwood forward is “moving in the right direction”.
Henry considered his future late this year and rebuffed attempts to sign a contract extension with the Magpies, before deciding on a trade request to the Cats in the week after the grand final.
The youngster was part of Geelong’s premiership celebrations, supporting his brother Jack at the grand final parade on Friday, soaking up the atmosphere in the rooms on Saturday and joining the family day on Sunday.
It was in the days after that he locked in on asking for a trade back to his hometown.
Henry had spent plenty of time in Geelong this year and even helped out as an unofficial coach at the Geelong Falcons.
“We didn't have a concrete answer really until after the grand final, we were sitting on it a little bit,” Henry’s manager Tom McConville told Trade Radio.
“The week after we sat down with him and had pretty strong conversations and said we need to come to a decision and we need to get moving on it.”
McConville described the Henry clan as “super close” and Ollie was pulled by watching the Daicos brothers up close at Collingwood and the Guthrie’s at Geelong.
“You see the Guthrie boys and what they are able to do and you see the Daicos boys and the brotherhood there,” McConville said.
“(Ollie) is a country boy at heart. He has had two years here in the big smoke and he feels the environment long-term is better for Ollie and it is better to be back home and back in that comfortable environment for him.”
The Cats and Pies were split at the start of the week on fair value for Henry, who was a No.17 draft pick two years ago but is now out of contract.
Collingwood football boss Graham Wright said the club would be keen to keep the youngster, with Geelong to weigh up whether its first round pick this year (currently No.18) or next year is fair value.
The trade period wraps up on Wednesday.
“They are moving in the right direction,” McConville said.
“We are really confident we will get a good outcome for both parties and that is what we are striving to do.”
Cats hunt Irishman McKenna
Geelong is hoping to pick up discussion with former Essendon dasher Conor McKenna later on in trade period, with the Irishman able to join the club in a valuable rookie spot.
The Cats are hard pressed for space on their senior list this year, especially if they land trade targets Jack Bowes, Ollie Henry and Tanner Bruhn.
Star finals performers Tom Atkins and Brad Close will be elevated from the rookie to the senior list as well, and the club needs to leave room to use on multiple draft picks.
Geelong list boss Andrew Mackie described McKenna as “attractive” given the defender can be added to the rookie list, saving an extra spot on the senior list to be used elsewhere.
In 79 games for the Bombers between 2015-2020 before he returned to Ireland, McKenna shows star potential as a risk-taking backman.
He can walk to the club of his choice as a delisted free agent, with those signing expected to take place late or even after the trade period closes on October 12, once teams know how their list will look in 2023.
“We have spoken to (McKenna) throughout the year, albeit a while ago,” Mackie told Trade Radio.
“We have got people in our footy club who have dealt with him in the past, (assistant coach) James Kelly being one of them, and were complimentary about Conor.
“We have had a discussion about him, clearly he can come on board as a rookie list player so that is attractive.
“We have spoken to him throughout the year, so I’m sure we will pick that up and see what he is thinking.”
Geelong is still waiting on word about where Bowes would like to be traded, after the Gold Coast midfielder met with clubs in Victoria in recent days.
Given the Suns are keen to offload Bowes and their first-round draft pick (currently No.7) to shed his weighty contract, a trade is expected to be easily negotiated once Bowes chooses between Geelong, Essendon and Hawthorn.
The Cats met with Collingwood over Henry and GWS about Bruhn over the opening two days of the trade period and will continue discussions.
The Giants expect Bruhn’s trade to go through before the trade deadline, while negotiations over Henry may go down to the wire given the Magpies are still keen to keep the forward.
Mackie said the Magpies have only flagged a want for draft picks in return for Henry, not an established player.
The Cats remain keen to keep Esava Ratugolea off the trade table despite interest from other clubs, led by Port Adelaide.
Mackie said the Cats were “pretty clear” they wanted Ratugolea to see out his contract at the club next year.
“He is a contracted player and no doubt the coach does love him and we love him, but we totally understand he is trying to work out where he plays his footy,” Mackie said.
Cats eye Selwood replacements in busy trade period
Geelong is hopeful a pair of midfield trade targets will help fill the void left in the engine room by retired star Joel Selwood, as the trade period kicked off on Monday.
The Cats shape as one of the busiest clubs in the league during the period, with their eyes on onballers Tanner Bruhn (GWS) and Jack Bowes (Gold Coast), as well as Collingwood forward Ollie Henry.
Geelong list boss Andrew Mackie has been open about his desire to bring fresh blood into the midfield rotation this off-season, to regenerate an ageing core group.
Bruhn, 20, and Bowes, 24, fall sweetly in that demographic.
Bruhn has put in a request to join the Cats and the Giants put down an early marker of a first-round pick in return for the talented Newtown & Chilwell junior.
Bowes will come with the sweetener of Gold Coast’s No.7 overall draft pick, but the midfielder is yet to decide on his preferred destination for a trade.
Essendon has made the Sun a priority of its trade period, while Hawthorn is also interested.
“We have a lot of areas we want to improve in and we will chip away at that,” Mackie said.
“I have been openly talking around the midfield throughout the year and here we are in trade week so we will see how we go.
“We have a number of options (to take Selwood’s minutes), we will see in the next 10 days, it could be one of them.”
Mackie revealed champion Cat Gary Ablett Jr helped sell the Geelong recruiting staff on Bowes, after the legendary former star played with him before leaving the Suns.
“(Bowes) is a ripping kid, we feel like he would be a great fit for us,” Mackie said.
“Hopefully the next couple of days we know more but we have been interested in Jack for a long time.
“We had some good intel off Gary Ablett when he came back (from Gold Coast) and you track guys who aren’t playing and getting experience in the AFL side, and (Bowes) is one of them.”
Collingwood football boss Graham Wright said the Magpies were “a bit disappointed” and would still “really like to retain” Henry.
Mackie said it was “really hard to find a common value” for Henry, who was drafted with the 17th overall pick two years ago.
Mackie also said it has been made clear there would be no guarantees of playing in Geelong’s best side if Henry does get his wish and is traded home to the Cats.
Trade period closes on October 12.
Ratugolea going nowhere: Geelong squashes any trade talk
Geelong has shot down any talk Esava Ratugolea may depart for Port Adelaide, with Cats list manager Andrew Mackie declaring the adaptable tall will not be traded.
Ratugolea met with Power coach Ken Hinkley last week and toured the club’s facilities.
But the swingman is under contract at Geelong and will be staying put, according to Mackie.
“We love Esava, he has had some conversations (with other clubs),” Mackie said.
“Such is the AFL world. He is contracted and we love him.”
Ratugolea, 24, has played 59 games since making his debut in 2018 mostly as a forward-ruck.
His opportunities to partner Tom Hawkins in the forward line have become limited since Jeremy Cameron walked through the doors, and Ratugolea spent the second half of this season playing in defence in the VFL.
He acquitted himself well at full-back in round 21 against West Coast but was dropped as the Cats set themselves for a premiership run.
After that game he told the Geelong Addy he was keen to see out his contract, which expires at the end of 2023.
“I love this place. At the moment I don’t see myself going anywhere,” Ratugolea said then.
“Half the time I don’t even think I am at work, that’s how good it is. A lot of the fellas will say the same, I don’t see myself going anywhere any time soon.”
All you need to know about Geelong’s trade plans
The celebrations may still be in full swing for Cats fans and the players may be jetsetting off on holidays but the work is still underway within the club as the trade period opens up.
There will be no time to bask in the premiership glow for Geelong’s list management team led by Andrew Mackie and Stephen Wells, with the potential to bring four new players in to the club.
Geelong will begin negotiations with each of GWS over Newtown & Chilwell junior Tanner Bruhn, Collingwood on springheeled forward Ollie Henry and Gold Coast for highly rated midfielder Jack Bowes.
The Cats have also been linked to former Essendon speedster Conor McKenna as he plans a return from Ireland.
McKenna will land at the club of his choice without the need to broker a trade given he is a free agent, once the half-back dasher negotiates a contract with whichever club he fancies.
Securing the other three targets will take some work, with the Giants and Magpies likely to ask for a first-round pick as part of deals for their respective youngsters.
Both Henry and Bruhn were taken in the first round on draft day two years ago and have shown glimpses of the talent that saw them plucked that early and even though both are out of contract, their respective clubs will demand strong compensation.
Geelong has been clear on its desire to regenerate its midfield in recent years, with Bruhn a blue-chip talent to slide into the midfield rotation.
Bowes has long caught the eye of Cats recruiters – and superstar Cat Patrick Dangerfield compared him to ace playmaker Mitch Duncan.
At 24, he is right in the middle of an age demographic Geelong is short on at the moment, given it’s ageing list but he is yet to decide where he would like to be traded, with Essendon and Hawthorn among the clubs interested.
It has been well reported Bowes could potentially come with a sweetener of Gold Coast’s No. 7 overall draft pick, as the Suns look to shed his salary and clear their books.
If it held its spot, the No. 7 pick would be Geelong’s highest in a draft since the Cats used the same pick on a Bendigo kid called Joel Selwood in 2006.
It would also be Geelong’s first top-10 selection since Nakia Cockatoo back in 2014.
While the No. 7 choice would make Wells’ eyes light up, it could be of best use as a way to facilitate either the Bruhn or Henry deals.
Geelong holds its current first round pick (listed at 18 currently) and its choice for next year as its two biggest current chips at the trade table.
Utility Esava Ratugolea will have a decision to make after he was seen touring Port Adelaide’s facilities last week, with the tall potentially looking for greener pastures after struggling to get a look in at regular senior footy in the past three years.
Delisted Cat Francis Evans is widely tipped to land at the Power as well, while Quinton Narkle could walk to any club of his choice.
Although eight Cats have been taken off the list so far, spots are still at a premium given midfield bull and rookie Tom Atkins will need to be elevated to the senior list next year.
Geelong is expecting to find out in coming days whether forward Brad Close will need to be elevated as well.
The finishing touches are being put on new deals for Zach Guthrie, Isaac Smith, Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy, contracts which should be locked in this week.
Luckless midfield-forward Sam Simpson is also without a deal currently.
Even with a brand new cup in the trophy cabinet, Geelong has not had a chance to slow down just yet and will be one of the busiest clubs on the market until the trade period ends on October 12.
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