Thurlow’s future up in the air

THE future of Geelong defender Jackson Thurlow will remain up in the air until the end of the season, with the 24year-old and the club agreeing to put talks on hold.

Thurlow, who comes out of contract at season’s end, has been unable to nail down a permanent role with the Cats in 2018 and has played just six AFL games this season.

He managed 10 matches in his first year back from a knee reconstruction in 2017 and has been named as an emergency on several occasions this season on the back of some solid form in the VFL.

But it is understood he has grown frustrated with his lack of opportunities at senior level at Kardinia Park.

Several clubs have shown an interest in acquiring Thurlow, who Geelong used with its first selection — pick No.16 overall — in the 2012 draft.

The Tasmanian’s manager, Tim Hazell, said his client’s preference was to stay with the Cats but all parties had agreed to wait until the end of the season to resume discussions.

Hazell said Thurlow’s focus was on finishing the season as strongly as he could but did not rule out the possibility of him leaving Geelong.

“We’ve had some really open and honest conversations and have all agreed that we should just wait until the end of the season, and that’s what we’ll do,” Hazell said.

“Geelong is great to deal with so we will be open and honest and work through it.”