Shaun Mannagh one of the most in-form players in the competition

The recruiting gurus at Geelong have pulled off another coup with a “no-name” Cat soaring into the AFL’s top 20 ranked players over the past month.

Shaun Mannagh has emerged as one of the most in-form players in the competition. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

On the night Shaun Mannagh became a Cat last year, recruiting manager Stephen Wells declared the mature aged recruit could “make an impact at our club straightaway”.

With a history of landing draft gems, it appears Geelong has done it again.

Like he has always done, Mannagh was forced to show patience for his opportunity.

Mannagh debuted in round 2 as the substitute, made his first start a week later and then found himself out of the senior side until round 18.

He earned a recall on the back of a six-goal performance in the VFL but at the time Cats coach Chris Scott declared the growth in Mannagh’s defensive game was a key factor.

It was at a time when the Cats just started to get their season back on track when many thought they had fallen right back into the pack, winning just two out of eight games.

Mannagh himself declared he wanted to be the “barometer” of the Cats’ defensive pressure after working his way back into the best 22.

He made an immediate impact in his return to AFL level with 14 tackles in the win over Hawthorn at GMHBA Stadium.

Shaun Mannagh. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Shaun Mannagh (left) is playing a key role for the Cats. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

It was just the start of an impressive run of form with Geelong going 4-1 since the 26-year-old returned to the senior side.

Since round 17, he has been the 19th best ranked player in the AFL and fourth in his position.

He has averaged 16.4 disposals (ranked 11th for his position), 8.4 contested possessions, 6.2 groundball gets (fifth) and 62.3 pressure points (second) according to Champion Data.

“He didn’t do too much wrong early in the season, it was just the selection squeeze,” Scott said.

“He is going really well, and hard to push out of the team I imagine.

“He has bided his time, not just this year but over the course of his career, and he well and truly deserves the success he is having.”

He has played no less than 78 per cent game time since earning a recall compared to the 26 and 69 per cent he had in the first two games of his career.

The pressure Mannagh has become renowned for will once again be key against a Fremantle outfit this weekend which possesses defenders including ex-Cat Jordan Clark and Luke Ryan who are elite by foot.

Geelong made two trips for the trip west on Saturday afternoon with veterans Gary Rohan and Mitch Duncan recalled.

The Cats elected to not risk Sam De Koning’s, who left the ground with a knee injury against Adelaide last week, while defender Jed Bews was omitted.

Originally published as Shaun Mannagh one of the most in-form players in the competition