Where it all started for some of our grand final players
IT has been a less than conventional ride to the grand final for some Cats. We look at how the careers of some of the Geelong line-up have unfolded so far.
Tom Atkins
ONE of the great stories of persistence. Overlooked in two AFL drafts, the St Joseph’s product toiled away in the Cats’ VFL outfit for several seasons, taking in the highs of a flag, a best-and-fairest, the captaincy and a team of the year gong before earning his call-up to the big-time in the 2019 rookie draft. Debuting at age 23, it had been some build for the midfielder/ forward, who helped St Joseph’s to its first flag in almost three decades in 2015.
Mark Blicavs
TALK about a talented family. The Blicavs are Australian basketball royalty with dad Andris, mum Karen and sister Sara, all representing the national basketball Boomers or Opals. Mark has taken a different path. Famously started out as a promising young athlete, very nearly qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in the steeplechase, before turning his attention to Aussie rules. The local footy folklore tells it was Sunbury Lions and now Geelong teammates Cam and Zach Guthrie’s father Andrew, that put Blicavs on the Cats’ radar and he was “worth a punt” as a rookie in 2012. That punt is now a twotime Carji Greeves medallist, All-Australian and Victoria representative. Not a bad return.
Tyson Stengle
WHAT a comeback. The forward was delisted by Adelaide last year as a result of an offfield incident and returned to his original SANFL club Woodville-West Torrens. Stengle played a key role in the Eagles’ second straight premiership in 2021, kicking three goals in the grand final and 44 in 19 matches, while averaging 14 touches. Started out with Portland in Adelaide’s northern suburbs before turning out for Port Adelaide Magpies’ development squad and Woodville-West Torrens. Drafted by Richmond in the 2017 rookie
draft, he was traded to Adelaide in 2020 for a fourthround pick and joined Geelong as a delisted free agent this season. He took the opportunity with both hands, kicking 46 goals, and earning AllAustralian honours in one of the great stories of the year.
Max Holmes
ANOTHER of Geelong’s athletes. Holmes is the son of two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lee Naylor and a under-18 national champion himself in the 400m hurdles, also taking bronze in the 400m. Started out at East Malvern, before crossing to Prahran, and represented
South Metro alongside Melbourne premiership player Jake Bowey. Despite the 2020 season being cancelled, Geelong saw enough in the raw talent to give up a future first-round pick on draft night him to snag him with pick No.20 in 2020. Has played 30 games in the two seasons since but will need to overcome a hamstring issue to step on to the MCG on Saturday.
Tom Stewart
THE poster boy for matureage recruit, Stewart’s path to the AFL is a tale of persistence. After graduating from the Geelong Falcons and missing out at draft time, Stewart signed up for South Barwon in the Geelong Football League. Coached by Cats premiership great Matthew Scarlett, Stewart was part of South Barwon’s back-to-back flags in 2012 and 2013 before finally getting noticed playing for Geelong’s VFL team in 2016. The Cats pounced with pick No.40 and Stewart has turned into one of the all-time draft bargains, earning four All-Australian guernseys and taking home the Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong’s best-andfairest in 2021.
Zach Tuohy
BORN in the town of Portlaoise, 94km from Dublin, Tuohy soon became a junior Gaelic football star, winning the Under-18 Leinster
Minor Football Championship with Laois County in 2007.
He became the second player from that championship side to be travel to Australia, following Conor Meredith. Tuohy trialled with Carlton in 2009 and was subsequently drafted as an international rookie with the Blues’ six-round pick (73rd overall) in the 2010 rookie draft. He would go on to play 120 games for the Blues before being traded to Geelong for Billie Smedts, a future firstround pick and pick No.63. Tuohy became just the second Irishman to play 200 VFL/ AFL games in 2020, joining Jim Stynes.