SCOOTER ON HIS BIKE
GEELONG has continued its off-season list cull, delisting luckless midfielder Scott Selwood.
The 29-year-old was part of the club’s leadership group just two years ago, but he has battled with injuries throughout his time at the Cats and joins Jordan Cunico and Jamaine Jones as players not to be offered fresh contracts for the 2020 season.
Selwood played just two AFL games this season — his fourth at Geelong — to take his tally since arriving as a free agent at the end of 2015 to 34.
In total he has played 169 AFL matches after making his debut for West Coast in 2008.
“Scott has been a muchloved member of the club over his four years here,” Geelong football manager Simon Lloyd said.
“The way in which he has conducted himself, on and off the field, has earned him great respect from his teammates and coaches.
“Scott is always welcome at the club, and we wish him well in his future endeavours. We hope to see a new opportunity come his way in football as he has a lot to offer.”
It means there are now six Cats out of contract— key position duo Lachie Henderson and Wylie Buzza, star midfielder Tim Kelly, veteran pair Gary Ablett and Harry Taylor and ruckman Zac Smith.
Smith is yet to receive an offer for next season after playing three AFL games in 2019.
He was named for the Round 21 clash against North Melbourne before being withdrawn late in favour of Mark Blicavs and, despite being listed as an emergency in subsequent matches, he was unable to break back into the senior side, with Geelong preferring either Blicavs or Rhys Stanley in the ruck.
While Smith has grown frustrated at the lack of opportunities he has had at the Cats in the past two seasons, there is a chance — albeit an extremely remote one — that he could remain at the club beyond this year.
But while the 26-year-old is settled in Geelong, it is understood he has attracted interest from multiple clubs looking to secure the services of a second ruck option.
Smith has played 50 games for the Cats since arriving at the end of 2015 and finished top 10 in the Carji Greeves Medal count in each of his first two seasons.
But with as many as three other genuine rucks on the list in Stanley, Ryan Abbott and Darcy Fort, as well as the emergence of Esava Ratugolea and the late-season inclination of Chris Scott to use Blicavs in the key position, he has had his work cut out for him pushing for a spot in the senior team.
It comes in the wake of reports that Geelong tabled a four-year offer for North Melbourne big man Todd Goldstein, only to be rejected by the 31-year-old last month who opted to stay with the Kangaroos on a three-year deal.
Kelly’s manager Anthony Van der Wielen has flown back to Perth following a short stint in Geelong where he met with the Cats regarding his client’s future. It is expected Kelly, who finished fifth in this year’s Brownlow Medal count, will make his intentions known publicly this week.