Guthrie tipped to stick with Geelong

GEELONG remains confident it will have out-of-contract utility Cam Guthrie locked away to a new deal by the end of this month.

While there are certain details surrounding the offer put forward by the club that his management and the Cats are yet to settle on, it is believed both parties are confident of finding a suitable resolution in the coming weeks.

Guthrie, who is a restricted free agent, has returned to training recently after surgery on the syndesmosis joint in his right ankle, and could be back playing again before the bye.

The 25-year-old said earlier this year he was keen to stay at Geelong, where he is living with his younger brother and teammate Zach.

“It’s something we’ll work out during the year,” Guthrie said. “We’ve got Simon Lloyd who is the football manager who looks after all of that and I’m sure at some stage we’ll get together and hopefully work something out that fits both of us best because I’d love to stick around.

“I couldn’t really see myself anywhere else so, if Geelong is happy to have me, I’d love to stick around as long as I can.”

Guthrie has played 131 matches since making his debut in 2011 and is one of the Cats’ best ball users, with his creativity and ability to find teammates in traffic a feature of his game. He is one of several out-of-contract Geelong players yet to sign extensions beyond 2018.