Rhys Stanley and Mitch Duncan to play on in 2025 as Jack Martin to join club in November

Rhys Stanley and Mitch Duncan both played in Geelong’s preliminary final, but will they earn new deals? Plus, another new face will join the club in the next fortnight.

Geelong veterans Mitch Duncan and Rhys Stanley will both play on in 2025, putting Duncan within touching distance of his 300-game milestone.

The pair have earned one-year extensions with the Cats in what will be Duncan’s 15th AFL season and Stanley’s 16th campaign, with the deals set to be finalised soon.

It comes as a deal for captain Patrick Dangerfield is yet to be finalised but the 34-year-old is well placed to receive a two-year contract after a strong season.

The Cats will welcome former Gold Coast and Carlton forward Jack Martin as a delisted free agent when the period opens on November 1, having already moved down to Geelong

Geelong traded its first round pick to snare talented midfielder Bailey Smith but the club is open to using its future picks to trade back into this year’s draft.

The Cats currently holds pick 45, 57 and 75 in this the 2024 national draft.

Rhys Stanley will play on next season. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Duncan, 33, remained a senior regular this season playing 22 games, including two as the substitute in round 23 and their preliminary final loss to Brisbane.

The two-time premiership Cat could play his 300th game in the first month of 2025 with Duncan four games away from the milestone.

Stanley, who turns 34 in December, was consistently managed throughout the year and played five games in the VFL but finished the season as Geelong’s number one ruckman, playing 14 games for the season.

That was in part due to promising ruckman Toby Conway’s foot stress fracture late in the season.

Conway had been widely tipped to oust Stanley for the Cats’ ruck mantle in 2024 but Stanley played 14 games across the season, with the 21-year-old to contend with Stanley again for the ruck in 2025.

The 210-game ruck said during the season that he relished the challenge of competing with Conway and the youngster lauded the support and advice that Stanley has given him since he joined the club.

Geelong delisted seven players last month including premiership players Gary Rohan and Brandan Parfitt and uncapped midfielder Mitch Hardie, who finished fourth in the VFL’s Liston Trophy.

Originally published as Rhys Stanley and Mitch Duncan to play on in 2025 as Jack Martin to join club in November