Isaac Smith believes Geelong is well placed to replace retired captain Joel Selwood

Geelong is set to turn to its brigade of young midfielders to replaced retired legend Joel Selwood, with plenty impressing in the pre-season.

AFL Football Geelong Cats training. 13 Jhye Clark Picture: Mark Wilson

NORM Smith Medalist Isaac Smith says the Cats are well placed to replace retired leader Joel Selwood’s position in the midfield in 2023.

Geelong has retained the majority of its premiership-winning 23 that smashed Sydney to the tune of 81 points, with just Selwood leaving the club.

Smith said no player could cover Selwood’s experience or leadership qualities, but there were a number of younger midfielders coming through the system and ready for games.

AFL Football Geelong Cats training. 40 Ted ClohesyPicture: Mark Wilson

“It’s obviously a huge loss when you lose someone like that in the football club,” he said.

“I think everyone in the footy world saw the love externally for Joel, and you could probably times that by 10 for the love people inside these walls had.

“It’ll be a big loss, but luckily we’ve got the depth to cover where Joel played, it’ll be an interesting watch to see if we can fill the void of the influence that he had on not just the team but the whole football club.”

#GeelongCats preseason watch
- Holmes doing centre square work
- Clark looking very clean under pressure
- Clohesy strong in the contest
- Cooper Whyte practicing intercept marks
- Ratugolea and Neale main rucks in centre bounce work
- Mitch Knevitt looked great

— Matt Forrest (@mattforrest29) January 18, 2023

Geelong bolstered its midfield depth in the off-season, bringing in former Sun Jack Bowes and ex-Giant Tanner Bruhn during the trade period, before selecting Falcons teammates Jhye Clark and Ted Clohesy in the draft.

Max Holmes spent a portion of Wednesday’s training session completing centre square work, while tall utilities Esava Ratugolea and Shannon Neale worked on their ruck craft in the absence of Rhys Stanley.

Smith said the club was focused on developing the younger talent, rather than applying pressure on draftees to perform straight away.

Jhye Clark has been touted to fill Joel Selwood’s midfield role in 2023. Picture: Mark Wilson

“I think it was pretty highlighted what the club did in the off-season and trade period, getting Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes in, but also we’ve got some younger players underneath that are working,” he said.

“To be honest I don’t like individualising because when you’re young and you get a little pressure like that, you feel like you’ve probably got to extend yourself more than you need to.

“All these young guys, they come out and they’re quicker, fitter, stronger, bigger.

“I think we’re very confident with how that (the midfield) is progressing, and the players we’ve got rolling through there.”

Originally published as Isaac Smith believes Geelong is well placed to replace retired captain Joel Selwood