AFL finals 2024: Cats coach lauds ‘big game player’ mature aged recruit Shaun Mannagh after extraordinary finals debut

Shaun Mannagh was overlooked multiple time but six goals in a losing VFL grand final effort last year showed the Cats he had what it took. And he proved them right on Thursday night.

Geelong coach Chris Scott says Shaun Mannagh could have already considered himself to be a “big game player” before the mature-age recruit made an extraordinary AFL Finals debut on Thursday night.

Routinely passed over by AFL clubs before being selected by the Cats in last year’s national draft, Mannagh was playing only his 11th AFL game but finished as one of the highest-rated players on the ground as he helped Geelong to an 84-point thumping of Port Adelaide.

The 27-year-old had three goals, 23 disposals, 13 score involvements and 528m gained as a high half-forward.

It was a remarkable effort but was not Mannagh’s best in a final in the last 12 months.

In the VFL grand final last year he kicked six goals to win the Norm Goss Medal in Werribee’s loss to the Gold Coast.

Shaun Mannagh loves the big stage!
A career-high 3 goals to go with 23 disposals for the @GeelongCats in his first AFL final tonight 🤩
Who could forget his last game for us, a quiet 27 and 6 goals in the Grand Final 🌟 pic.twitter.com/EerdCXPUTZ

— Werribee FC (@WerribeeFC) September 5, 2024

“He has really helped us. We have brought in players for a while who were maybe not the most credentialed players, at least by their draft position,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

“But they have all really helped us.

“Shaun missed his chance over and over again.

“He didn’t say this but I would suggest he might be thinking, ‘Well I kicked six in a VFL grand final last year’, so he might be a big game player already.”

In the Geelong rooms, Mannagh was revelling in another first.

“It can’t go much better can it?” he said.

“Everyone turned up and when you come into an away game you want to turn up early and try and drown out the noise and I think we did that early.

“Scotty just mentioned in the meeting just then to take in the moment because it is not every day that happens.

Shaun Mannagh shined on finals debut on Thursday night. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“It’s pretty cool (thinking about how far he has come). Being a bit older and mature instead of going up and down you keep it a happy medium.

“To run out in front of 50,000 in a final was pretty special.”

Mannagh wasn’t the only Cats small forward to feast on the Power on Thursday night.

Tyson Stengle finished with four goals and Gryan Miers kicked three as they ran riot at Adelaide Oval.

“A few of the boys kicked three or four. It would have been nice for Closey (Brad Close) to kick a goal in his 100th but he gave off a lot,” Mannagh said.

“So it was a great night and we will keep turning up.”

Mannagh said Miers in particular had helped him grow significantly as a player in 2024.

“To be fair massively, probably just being in the right spots and not falling on each other,” he said.

“I am able to go to the contest a little bit and then get forward, so just being in different lanes and that.

Shaun Mannagh has the last laugh on Thursday night against Port. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Gryan especially I love working with him.”

Under assistant coach James Rahilly, who had Adelaide as the best attacking team in the competition last year, the Cats’ forward line now looms as a serious weapon.

“He was assistant coach of the year last year and he will probably go close again this year. He has been incredible,” Mannagh said.

“Our meetings each week are really simple and I think that works for us as a group, I can’t speak more highly of him.

“He knows Adelaide Oval pretty well and as a forward group we were able to play well because of that coaching from him so I reckon he will be pretty impressed.

“I won’t give them (the tips he had for Adelaide Oval) out because we might need them again going forward.

“But maybe a few goals from the pocket, just little things.”

Originally published as AFL finals 2024: Cats coach lauds ‘big game player’ mature aged recruit Shaun Mannagh after extraordinary finals debut