CONTRACTUAL CLAWS

year. If St Kilda’s reported interest is stronger than Geelong’s, Menzel could go. Cats won’t offer more than one year.

GEELONG will begin making listmanagement decisions this week after both its AFL and VFL sides were knocked out of finals. Geelong Advertiser sports editor NICK WADE looks at the current state of play with the club’s outof-contract players. LINCOLN MCCARTHY

BEEN linked with a two-year offer from Brisbane. The Cats will give him a new deal and he is in Geelong’s best team when fit, but just can’t get out there consistently after seven years at the club. McCarthy’s regular absence has been symptomatic of Geelong’s problems with forward pressure this year.

DANIEL MENZEL (free agent)

IN exactly the same position as last

RYAN GARDNER

DRAFTED as a defender, played there for two years, before being moved forward. Third year in the system without a debut, not even emergency. Nervous wait.

JORDAN MURDOCH

PLAYED 22 games last year and 16 this year. Not a superstar but plays the role asked of him. For that reason alone, at 26 and with 108 games under his belt, would seemingly get a new deal next year — but shorter than the three years he signed for in 2015.

AARON BLACK

HAD he not injured his knee, Black would almost certainly have been signed for next year after making a solid fist of his role in defence. But he is going to miss a fair chunk of next year. Perhaps gets delisted and rerookied.

CORY GREGSON

TOUGH one for the Cats. Was a guarantee for another year until he did his foot again. Now probably 5050. Maybe a rookie option. Cats need to keep at least one of Gregson and McCarthy.

TIMM HOUSE

SEEMED the flavour of the month at the start of the season after a couple of good VFL games. Needed to be more consistent and as such slipped down the pecking order. Fate probably depends on which way the club goes with Gardner and Black.

GEORGE HORLIN-SMITH (Free agent)

LINKED with Gold Coast. Still on the fringe of selection, so needs to explore his options. Could be retained as an insurance option.

JACKSON THURLOW

SUCH a curious case. With contract talks on hold, he appears likely to be playing elsewhere next year after a year without opportunity.

RYAN ABBOTT

WILL slip back down the pecking order when Stanley and Ratugolea return next year. Might be on the radar of other clubs.

MATTHEW HAYBALL

HARD to see him getting a new deal.

STEWART CRAMERI

ON a tiny salary. Worth keeping as an insurance option.

SAM SIMPSON

SEEMS poised for a new deal.

JAMAINE JONES

MADE his debut this year, looked promising. Also seems poised for a new deal.

OTHERS ZAC SMITH

CONTRACTED for one more year but could look elsewhere after being shunted to the back of the Cats’ ruck queue. If Cats can get something for him, they’ll entertain a trade.

TIM KELLY

CATS maintain they won’t entertain a trade back to Western Australia. The Eagles or Dockers would need to come up with something good. But funny things have happened. Geelong would be able to maximise its trade value for Kelly if it traded him this year instead of next year when his contract is up.