OSCAR NOMINATION
THE Cats appear set to nominate highly rated Geelong Falcons midfielder Oscar Brownless as a father-son selection, with his testing at the recent AFL Draft Combine moving him a step closer to following his father’s footsteps.
Brownless, whose dad Billy played 198 games with the Cats, including four losing grand finals, impressed throughout the year and boosted his prospects further with solid results last week.
The 18-year-old came seventh in the 2km time trial, finishing in a time of 6min 13sec, and was fifth in the yo-yo test — a variation of the beep test — with a score of 21.6.
Both results saw him place in the top 10 per cent of participants and enhanced his reputation as an aerobic running machine, which has been a strength of his throughout his time in junior football.
Geelong has until October 31 to nominate Brownless and will have until November 16 to decide whether it wants to take him in the national or rookie draft.
If the Cats opt to take him as a rookie, there remains a chance he could be taken by another club in the national draft. But given the strength of this year’s talent pool and the fact they have picks 50 and 60 up their sleeve, it is expected they will be able to match any rival bid that comes for him.
Brownless is familiar with the surrounds at GMHBA Stadium and spent four weeks at Geelong late in the season, completing training sessions with the main group as the club ramped up its preparations for finals.
He has long been touted for his football smarts and is creative close to goals. He was a consistent contributor for Vic Country in this year’s under-18 championships, where he averaged 16.2 disposals and 4.8 tackles per game.
Playing for the Falcons against the Calder Cannons this year, he registered 182 Champion Data ranking points after finishing with 30 possessions, eight clearances, nine tackles and two goals.
In a Vic Country clash, GPS data revealed Brownless was also among the hardest-working players rotating through the midfield.
The Cats were quiet at the trade table yesterday but it is understood a deal with Gold Coast for George HorlinSmith will be completed before next Wednesday’s trade deadline.
Time is running out for Jordan Murdoch, Jackson Thurlow and Daniel Menzel to find new homes, but it is expected that at least one of those — most likely Menzel — will be on an AFL list in 2019.