Premiership Cat Brad Close reveals Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes as genuine chances to replace Joel Selwood in Geelong midfield
A premiership Cat has revealed his predictions to replace former captain Joel Selwood in the midfield rotation; with two new recruits on his list.
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PREMIERSHIP forward Brad Close has named who he thinks will be Joel Selwood’s midfield successors as competition for spots begins to heat up in the pre-season.
The legendary midfielder retired at the end of the 2022 season, leaving a whole in the midfield and club without a captain.
While Close did not have an opinion on who should lead the club forward in 2023, he said new recruits Jack Bowes and Tanner Bruhn were primed to take on the midfield minutes.
“There’s a bit of a hole there (in the midfield) but we do have a lot of young players ready to step up,” he said.
“It would be a good opportunity, and obviously with Jack Bowes and Tanner Bruhn coming to the club as well those two blokes can easily fill that hole.
“They’re all going well, we don’t have too many injuries at the minute so there are plenty out on the track.
“The new boys that are coming in, we’ve got some good footballers in there, so it’s going to be a tough job to pick a team.
“It’s good to have that depth there for the side, and some good competition for spots is always good.”
Bowes was the most-talked about recruit for Geelong in the off-season, with the former Sun arriving at GMHBA Stadium along with the seventh selection in the draft in a salary dump from the Gold Coast.
Geelong ultimately selected Falcons captain Jhye Clark with the pick obtained from the Suns, being the club’s earliest selection since Selwood.
Clark was not the only first-rounder to join the Cats in the off-season, with Bruhn and Henry both former first-round selections in the 2020 draft and former teammates at the Falcons.
Henry has impressed in the club’s match simulation so far this summer, with the former Pie forward being trialled in defence at times.
The Cats are set to host Hawthorn on February 24 at GMHBA Stadium in a scratch match, before travelling to Brisbane to face the Lions in the only official pre-season game ahead of round 1.
Originally published as Premiership Cat Brad Close reveals Tanner Bruhn and Jack Bowes as genuine chances to replace Joel Selwood in Geelong midfield
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