After carrying top 10 picks into the last two AFL Drafts, Geelong won’t enter the 2024 intake until early into the third term due to the recent trade period.
The Cats have just three selections at their disposal for November’s count following an off-season window that saw the club bid farewell to 10 players via retirement or delistings.
The large exodus could see Geelong move into this year’s count earlier via live trading and fill further list spots, with recruiting guru Stephen Wells sure to have plenty of names on his hitlist late into the piece.
Planning to continue their premiership contention while stocking up at the draft, we take a look at what Geelong could do with their trio of late draft picks.
Draft Hand
Picks: 45, 57, 75
The Cats have the lowest draft points total of any club after trading their first and second-round selections in a deal that landed them Western Bulldogs midfielder Bailey Smith. Geelong’s opening selection – Pick 45 – was acquired in that same deal to see them gain access to the top 50 in this year’s count.
Picks 57 and 75 will advance their place in the queue following matched Academy and father-son bids, giving the Cats a few more looks in the back end of the draft – an area they’ve proven to pluck leading talent from in years gone by.
Geelong managed to hold onto their 2025 picks during the trade period, giving them a platform to potentially trade back into this year’s count.
List Needs
Key Forward Depth: With Tom Hawkins retiring and Jeremy Cameron 32 early into next season, the Cats will consider bolstering their tall forward stocks at the draft. Shannon Neale has come along well in the past 12 months to look like a solid player for the future, but with Gary Rohan and Phoenix Foster also making way, there are a few spots to fill in Geelong’s attacking selection queue. The Cats will hold out hope there’s a big slider to their first selection, with several promising key forwards falling into the 20-40 range.
Ruck Options: Another key position area of focus for the Cats, who are likely to be without premiership ruckman Rhys Stanley following next year. Emerging tall Toby Conway has shown glimpses across his six career games, but injuries are continuing to stack up against him. Another ruck prospect in the wings might be required at Kardinia Park as insurance for the uncertainty surrounding Conway, with first-year tall Mitch Edwards not finding any luck either on the injury front after one season in the hoops.
Outside Run: Whether it be across half-back or on the wing, some extra speed on the outside of the engine room might be of interest to the Cats. Best and fairest Max Holmes is in line for more central roles going forward, with Geelong perhaps wanting to bolster their outside options on top of 2023 draft gem Lawson Humphries and Rising Star winner Ollie Dempsey. Youngster Mitch Knevitt is another to consider in this conversation, while Shaun Mannagh and Oisin Mullin also landed wing rotations in 2024.
Potential Targets
Thomas Sims: The Northern Knights tall forward started the year strongly with goals in his first eight games in the Talent League, a run that includes hauls of five and seven goals in Rounds 1 and 6. The 199cm key forward was good for a goal per game across his quartet of appearances for Vic Metro while flexing his aerial dominance as a high-leaping and strong-marking spearhead. Sims will be a name the Cats hope could slide to their first selection, with the likes of Charlie Nicholls, Kayle Gerreyn and Charlie West also in a similar range.
Lucas Impey: An over-ager who could land a spot in the draft given the small crop of leading ruck prospects on offer. Impey played 11 games back at the Western Jets this year, averaging 30.0 hitouts, 14.0 disposals and 5.0 tackles to earn a spot in the Talent League Team of the Year. He would also feature in three of Vic Metro’s four wins on the way to an undefeated carnival title, while Williamstown promoted Impey to four VFL matches, three of which fell in the club’s finals series.
Lachie Jaques: A local name for the Cats, Jaques is one of the standout rebound defenders from this year’s draft class, earning Talent League Team of the Year honours and a U18 All-Australian side selection for his efforts with the Geelong Falcons and Vic Country respectively. He averaged 22.6 disposals, 6.1 intercepts, 6.0 marks, 5.0 rebound 50s and 2.4 intercepts marks for the Falcons across 14 matches, flexing his pace, defensive prowess and running capacity.
