AFL 2024: Eight burning questions facing Geelong ahead of season
There is a level of unpredictability about Geelong entering 2024. We look at the big questions the club will have to face head on this season.
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There are always unknowns entering a new season but it rare for there to so much uncertainty around how Geelong will go.
Generally a finals lock, last year the Cats were exposed in a number of areas as they missed the eight for the first time since 2015.
Here are the key questions facing the club in 2024.
Can the Cats contend again?
No doubt the question on every Geelong fans’ lips. Geelong has flown under the radar this pre-season after an uneventful trade period, with other sides who missed out on the finals last year receiving much more fanfare. But that’s just how the Cats like it. The one big thing in their favour in 2024 compared to last year’s disappointing campaign is availability. Cameron Guthrie is the only senior player completely ruled out of round one, while Gary Rohan is in doubt with a back complaint – and there’s an argument that he might not be in Geelong’s best 23 with the emergence of Oliver Dempsey. With a 40,000-seat GMHBA Stadium rocking, they will be hard to beat down the highway, but their veterans, like Patrick Dangerfield, are another year older. And as we saw in 2023, the race for top eight spots is tight. They are definitely right in the mix for a top-eight spot but contending for a premiership is another thing altogether.
Can Geelong compete with the top midfields without Guthrie?
How Geelong’s midfield fares without Guthrie – who is set to miss at least the first six rounds – might just define their season. Can the Cats combat Adelaide’s dynamic midfield in round three, the Western Bulldogs ball-magnets in round four, and Brisbane’s on-ball brigade in round six? Geelong was comprehensively beaten up around the ball without Guthrie last season, ranking third last in the competition for clearance differential from round 7-24. But the ease in which opposition sides scored from clearances was the greater concern, with the Cats conceding 34.7 points per game from this source – ranked 15th. The extra exposure that the likes of Max Holmes and Tanner Bruhn received as on-ballers last year will help fast-track their development as midfielders, but alarm bells were ringing in the first quarter of Geelong’s practice game against Essendon as Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett racked up possessions at will. There were great signs from Jhye Clark, who will be a vital piece of the midfield puzzle, but Dangerfield’s influence was nullified. Mark Blicavs and Mitch Duncan, who has had his first full pre-season in a while, were used more at centre-bounces. Bruhn has made some enormous strides this pre-season and has maximum impact with his possessions, but can he win enough of his own ball? As you can see, there are more questions than answers here.
What will Geelong’s round one side look like?
It is anyone’s guess how the healthy Cats will line up against St Kilda, with assistant coach Steven King saying there as many as 35 they will be choosing from. The heat is sure to come on some of their elder statesman like Jed Bews and Zach Tuohy, the latter being used up the ground on a wing against Essendon. Will Max Holmes’ move down back force one of them out? Young talents Jhye Clark, Oliver Dempsey, Shannon Neale have all had strong pre-seasons. Same goes for Jack Bowes spending more time as an inside midfielder. Clark looks a lock, while Dempsey and Neale would be considered unlucky to miss out after impressing during the practice games. Rhys Stanley appears set to get a start over ruck tyro Toby Conway, and it will be interesting to see if they pick Neale to support Stanley in the ruck, or opt for Blicavs as the back-up ruckman. Then there’s the curious case of Shaun Mannagh, who the Cats appeared certain to play when they picked the ready-made talent in the second round of last year’s draft, but his limited gametime in the practice matches suggests otherwise. And will the running power of Mitch Knevitt and Oisin Mullin come into their thinking? The positive is the Cats have plenty of options and a lot of versatile types who play in a variety of different positions, so it will likely be horses for courses early in the season.
How many of Geelong’s unsigned 23 with recommit?
Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie will have his hands full this year, but as Dangerfield pointed out last week, the Cats have had no problems with retention in the past. Eight of those 23 players who fall out of contract at the end of 2024 are over the age of 30, so those decisions will likely drag on until the end of the year – especially Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy who are nearing the end. Max Holmes is undoubtedly the player the Cats can least afford to lose, with his line-breaking speed so valuable in the modern game. We saw last year how much the Cats missed Jack Henry, who is eligible as a free agent at the end of the year. As is Tyson Stengle, a player that kicked 53 goals in Geelong’s premiership season in 2022. Jhye Clark is another important signature, with the Queenscliff product tipped to re-sign.
Should Cats play Holmes at halfback or in the midfield?
As the renowned Old El Paso ad posited, ‘why can’t we have both?’ Holmes set tongues wagging with nine first quarter disposals off halfback and then was moved into the midfield at stages with great effect. He finished with a game-high 645 metres gained in just 65 per cent gametime, and expect the Cats to be looking for him whenever they come out of defence as they did against the Bombers. Holmes is Geelong’s wildcard entering 2024 and a strong season will not only bump up his next contract, it will help the Cats return to the finals.
Will Rhys Stanley or Toby Conway be Geelong’s No. 1 ruck?
It is a tale as old as time in the AFL landscape. Give the raw ruckman a run of games or stick with the ageing big man. Conway’s third pre-season – his first full one since joining the Cats – has received plenty of praise but Stanley has also had a promising preparation. The pair split the duties against Carlton in the first practice match before Stanley was picked ahead of Conway for their second hitout. Todd Goldstein, 35, got the points over Stanley but the Cat did manage to win five clearances. Conway showed some encouraging signs up against premier ruckman Tim English in his debut in the final round last year and the gap has certainly closed between him and Stanley. You would suggest the longer the season goes, the more that gap will tighten — especially if injury strikes or form dips for Stanley.
Can Cats’ forward line return to 2022 form?
There is no doubt Geelong’s forward line is among the best in the competition, but injuries and form saw a decline last year. Tom Hawkins played off a non-existent pre-season, while Jeremy Cameron dominated the first half of the year before a concussion and shoulder injury suffered in a collision with Rohan, and his form dipped when he returned — aside from an incredible display against Collingwood. Stengle’s 2023 paled in comparison to his high-impact 2022 campaign. This time around, Tom Hawkins is looking fitter than ever after a full pre-season, Cameron was roaming all over the ground in both practice games and Stengle was one of the Cats’ best against the Bombers with three goals. Add in Gryan Miers, who became one of the best forward half distributors in the competition last year, the pressure of Brad Close and the improved Dempsey and Neale, and it is a forward line that looks extremely potent. Mannagh showed in his limited minutes against Essendon that he can add spark to Geelong’s forward half when required, while the power of Dangerfield and dynamism of Bruhn can also be used in the attacking arc.
How much will the draftees play?
If Geelong’s injury situation was like it was this time last season, Connor O’Sullivan would be playing in round one. The No. 11 selection from last year’s draft has received rave reviews in his first pre-season with his versatility standing out during match simulation and the practice matches. Expect the 198cm prospect to get his chance early on in the season. As for Mannagh, there is no doubt he is ready to go, but does he get a game right away? He has the traits to be an effective substitute, a role he played against the Bombers when he came on late in the third term. It will be a case of when, not if, Mannagh plays given he is far too good to be stuck in the VFL. Mitch Edwards is a long-term project ruckman so it is unlikely we will see him in action this season, but don’t be surprised if Oli Wiltshire or Lawson Humphries get a run given they have a couple more years on their side than a traditional draftee. Straight of the Bellarine Football Netball League, Wiltshire excited onlookers in his first VFL practice game on Friday, booting four first-half goals and finishing with a handful for the game, while Humphries has some toe out of halfback. As for rookie pick-up Emerson Jeka, he will likely only be used as reinforcement at either end given he played both roles effectively at VFL level.
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Originally published as AFL 2024: Eight burning questions facing Geelong ahead of season
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