Max Holmes is one of the most exciting young players in the competition and the Cats can expect big things from him in 2024. Photo: AFL MEDIA

GEELONG
2023 record: 10 wins, 12 losses, 1 draw (12th)

THE INS
Emerson Jeka (Hawthorn), Connor O’Sullivan (Murray Bushrangers), Mitchell Edwards (Peel Thunder), Shaun Mannagh (Werribee), George Stevens (GWV Rebels), Oliver Wiltshire (Barwon Heads), Lawson Humphries (Swan Districts), Joe Furphy (Big V basketball)

THE OUTS
Isaac Smith (retired), Sam Menegola (delisted), Jonathon Ceglar (retired), Sam Simpson (delisted), Esava Ratugolea (Port Adelaide), Cooper Whyte (delisted), Osca Riccardi (delisted), Flynn Kroeger (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
Geelong has one of the most lethal key forward duos in the league in Jeremy Cameron and the evergreen Tom Hawkins, which now is complemented by a third prong Ollie Henry. The former Magpie made an instant impression at his new club last year, bagging 41 majors – 13 more than his career tally heading into 2023. Cameron was basically unstoppable in the first eight games last year, kicking 33 goals and prompting many experts to suggest he was the best player in the game. But a combination of form and injury put the brakes on the rest of his campaign with just 20 majors coming in his last 12 games, including seven in one game in Round 22 against Collingwood. Still, at full flight, he is a force of nature, and 35-year-old Hawkins seems to be ageless after kicking another 49 goals last year. He needs just 19 more to crack 800 in his career. The tall timber in attack have a fantastic small forward brigade at their feet in Tyson Stengle, Brad Close and Gryan Miers. Miers was the goal assist specialist last year, racking up 41 which was 11 more than the next best Hugh McCluggage, who played extra games with Brisbane in the finals. Lions legend Jason Akermanis (39) held the previous record (the stat has been recorded since 2003). Despite not playing in the finals last year, the Cats still had the fifth-best attack in the AFL and came in sixth for marks inside 50. The back six, presumably led by vice-captain Tom Stewart (who has been spoken about as a potential addition to the midfield), still looks pretty solid with Mitch Duncan, Sam De Koning, Zach Tuohy, Zach Guthrie, Jack Henry and Jake Kolodjashnij all featuring and playing a key role in the team’s seventh placing for defence in 2023. Geelong also still has the league’s most freakishly-talented utility at its disposal in Mark Blicavs, Max Holmes is one of the most exciting young players in the league, Tom Atkins has become the Cats’ barometer for heart and effort, while Mark O’Connor is turning into one of the AFL’s best taggers. The likes of Hawkins, Stewart, Blicavs and Cameron were a big reason why the Cats were third for contested marks in the league last year as well.

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THE WEAKNESSES
Geelong’s aura of invincibility was dramatically stripped away last year. Gone was the all-conquering juggernaut that won its last 16 games on the way to another premiership in 2022, and instead we were treated to a far less imposing iteration of the once mighty Cats. Perhaps the most telling stat underscoring that was their ranking of 14th in the league for tackles – hardly the trademark of a premiership contender. For the first time since 2015 – the previous time they missed the finals – they lost three games at Kardinia Park in the same season. And yet despite failing to make the top eight for just the third time in 20 years, and shedding Smith, Menegola and Ceglar from their list, Geelong still has the second-oldest list in the competition. Most think the cliff came for the Cats last year, but alarmingly they might not yet have reached it. Almost half of their best side is still aged 30 or over, and while some of those players remain in the elite bracket, the question has got to be: are they capable of digging deep for one final hurrah? Even the most ardent Geelong fans would have their doubts. The end can come quickly for players north of 30, and the Cats could have a whole batch of ticking time bombs on their hands. Geelong’s age demographic going under the microscope has almost become a pre-season ritual for the media over the past decade, and to their credit, the Cats had the last laugh two years ago when they emphatically won the flag with the oldest team ever fielded in a VFL/AFL match, let alone a grand final. But one gets the feeling that they have gone to the well one too many times on that front. The midfield isn’t looking as imposing as it used to be, either. Dangerfield is coming off his quietest year in over a decade and Cam Guthrie is returning from a long injury layoff. In 2023, the Cats ranked 16th for clearances, 12th for disposals, 11th for contested possessions and 11th for marks – a shadow of their 2022 selves. And despite ranking fifth for inside 50s, they fell in the bottom six for scores per inside 50. If they are to stay in touch with the top eight, the Cats really need Tanner Bruhn and Jhye Clark to step up in the midfield, and they will require more output from Brandan Parfitt. Adding to their concerns in the middle of the ground is the ruck department. The Cats continue to rely on 33-year-old Rhys Stanley, with Blicavs pinch-hitting. They need to see the likes of Shannon Neale and Toby Conway, as well as new recruits Mitchell Edwards and Joe Furphy, putting their hands up in season 2024 to ease the slack.

ONE TO WATCH
Holmes has been building nicely year-on-year since debuting in 2021, and as he enters his fourth year, it would be reasonable to expect him to become one of the Cats’ very best players. Last year, the 21-year-old ranked third at the club for inside 50s, equal third for tackles, fourth for clearances, fourth for contested possessions and fifth for disposals. He is already competent both inside and on the outside, and promises to take the footy world by storm in 2024.

UNDER THE PUMP
Parfitt enters the final year of his contract already feeling the pinch. The premiership on-baller was dropped twice in 2023, and was the starting sub in five of his nine games. A broken hand conspired against him as well last year, but if the 25-year-old can’t recapture his best form this season, he may struggle to extend his career down at the Cattery into 2025.

BEST 22
B: Zach Guthrie, Sam De Koning, Jack Henry
HB: Zach Tuohy, Tom Stewart, Mitch Duncan
C: Max Holmes, Patrick Dangerfield, Mark Blicavs
HF: Brad Close, Jeremy Cameron, Tyson Stengle
F: Gryan Miers, Tom Hawkins, Oliver Henry
R: Rhys Stanley, Cam Guthrie, Tom Atkins
Inter: Gary Rohan, Mark O’Connor, Jake Kolodjashnij, Tanner Bruhn
Emerg: Jed Bews, Jack Bowes, Brandan Parfitt, Mitch Knevitt

Stewart is named in the backline for now, but the Cats are apparently giving serious consideration to playing the five-time All-Australian defender more in the midfield this year. Blicavs is such a freak, he can play just about anywhere. Expect him to feature on every line on the park this year, including helping Stanley in the ruck. A foot stress fracture derailed former top-10 pick Jhye Clark’s debut season last year, so he’ll be hungry to push for senior selection early this season. And while Shaun Mannagh is ready to go, the reigning VFL grand final best player will still be made to earn a game given the likes of Stengle, Close and Miers are all ahead of him.

*all team stat rankings mentioned are based on differentials, not totals (apart from overall offence and defence).