Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley sign extensions as Cats land Gaelic talent

Three Geelong premiership players who remained unsigned have now been locked in, including captain Patrick Dangerfield. Plus, the Cats have a new Irish addition.

Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield has finally signed a two-year contract extension as premiership teammates Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley have also inked new deals.

Dangerfield, 34 has received the two-year deal he was angling for after a strong season where he proved he remains one of Geelong’s most important players.

Negotiations had been ongoing throughout this month but had been anticipated the eight-time All-Australian would secure two years rather than one.

The deal keeps him at the Cats until the end of 2026, while Duncan and Stanley have recommitted until the end of 2025 as expected.

These signings complete a successful year on the contract front for list boss Andrew Mackie and the Cats, with the club entering the season with more than 20 players out of contract at the end of 2024 — including stars Max Holmes and Tyson Stengle.

The Cats have also secured Gaelic sensation Cillian Burke as a Category B rookie, who joins Irishmen Oisin Mullin and Mark O’Connor at the club, and will add delisted Carlton forward Jack Martin in the coming days.

“Patrick, Mitch and Rhys have been strong pillars of our Club both on and off the field. Their commitment, leadership and motivation to continually develop themselves and our program has been exceptional,” Mackie said.

Patrick Dangerfield has signed on until the end of 2026. Picture: Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Duncan, 33, played 22 senior games last season and none in the VFL, but was the substitute in their preliminary final loss to Brisbane.

The dual premiership winning utility could hit the 300-game milestone in the opening month of the season, having played 296 matches throughout a glittering career.

Stanley turns 34 in December and will likely be used as ruck reinforcement for promising yet injury-riddled big man Toby Conway.

Conway shared the load with Stanley throughout the season and showed some exciting glimpses until the 22-year-old underwent surgery in July to repair a stress fracture in his foot.

Like Mullin three years ago, Burke heads to the Cats as a highly touted Gaelic football talent.

The athletic 21-year-old shone in the Gaelic Athletic Association finals for Kerry — the same club O’Connor hails from — against Derry and Armagh.

Great to see Cillian Burke get off the mark with this goal, especially after missing a big chance earlier in the game. Quality finish too.

📽️ @SportTG4pic.twitter.com/SyihyRvzis

— Adam Moynihan (@AdamMoynihan) February 4, 2024

Burke will join the Cats for the start of pre-season alongside big-name trade recruit Bailey Smith.

“Cillian is a very athletic and talented prospect. We are thrilled he has decided to join Geelong and can’t wait to welcome him to Australia next month,” Mackie said. “A very established GAA player, we understand Cillian has made a big life decision to move to Australia. We will support him and have a plan in place to make a smooth transition to the Cats and our football program.”

Geelong delisted Category B rookie Joe Furphy, the brother of NBA draftee Johnny, last week.

The Cats have picks 45, 57 and 75 in this year’s draft and are open to trading back in earlier after offloading their first two selections to land Smith.

Originally published as Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley sign extensions as Cats land Gaelic talent