Cats to scour talent pool
Options open for 2023
GEELONG will begin to scour the pool of unwanted players in coming weeks with no rush to fill the empty spot on its list.
Heading into Wednesday’s rookie draft, the Cats pondered filling their list but instead chose to leave one spot free, which can be used on a trainon player over pre-season or through the mid-season draft.
Geelong is yet to rope in any train-on players as it prepares for senior players to return to the track on Monday.
With no obvious holes to be plugged, Geelong list manager Andrew Mackie said the Cats would be on the search for the best talent that may have slipped through the cracks.
“We will have those conversations now, there are no glaringly obvious things we need to attack from a list-need point of view so we will assess the pool and work out what to do from there,” he said.
“We want to make sure we take that time to make the right decision.
“I think when we sit down in this period and what we have done now … it will be about who is popping up from a general talent point of view, like who for whatever reason was unable to find themself on a list and are willing to improve their game or show they are at a standard that might work on an AFL list.”
Clubs were only officially told just before the draft that the medical sub would be changed to a tactical sub in 2023, with four players to remain on the bench.
Mackie said he didn’t see that having much of an impact on selection and list management, unlike if the AFL opted for five players on the bench available all game, which likely would have seen teams select two genuine rucks each game.
The Cats landed on a winning formula by rotating Mark Blicavs and Rhys Stanley through the ruck in 2022.
“(The tactical sub) will be a good thing for the players and for the clubs,” he said.