ESAVA READY TO GO

Big Cat builds strength for pre-season start

GEELONG is confident emerging key forward Esava Ratugolea will be ready to complete running exercises within two weeks after successful post-season surgery.

Ratugolea will return to the Cats in an official capacity on Monday, with Geelong’s second to fourth-year players. But he has already begun his preliminary backto-work program at the club and has spent a large chunk of time in the gym to ensure he keeps his imposing physique in supreme condition.

His post-season clean-out went to plan, with his surgeon removing the plate that had been inserted on the outside of his fibula after he fractured it in Round 10 against Carlton this year.

While Ratugolea’s preChristmas training program will be modified, he spent yesterday working with assistant coach Nigel Lappin doing circuit-based crosstraining exercises with a strong aerobic focus.

The plan for the 20-yearold is to continue focusing on his engine and he will ramp up his workload again next week when pre-season training officially resumes.

He is set to lift his output on the Alter G running machine to three sessions per week from Monday and will also increase the amount of weight he puts through his ankle. Geelong football manager Simon Lloyd says the aim is for Ratugolea to start running on the track the following week.

“Esava has always had a high attention to detail,” Lloyd said. “He is a professional and he has had a taste of AFL football and he wants a lot more of it, so he is looking to build his game and the promising thing for us is there are so many aspects where Esava has recognised that he can develop as an AFL footballer.

“That comes with time and comes with effort and we know that Esava has a real appetite for work, which is a positive.

“He will be on a tailored program leading into Christmas, but it will be focused on increasing the weight through his ankle and doing a lot of cross training to focus on his aerobic fitness.”

Close to a dozen Geelong players have been spotted at GMHBA Stadium in the past week as they look to launch into what looms as another long summer of work on the training track.

Off-season recruits Gary Rohan and Luke Dahlhaus are likely to be seen in Cats colours for the first time when the remainder of Geelong players — those with five or more years’ experience — commence on Monday, November 26.