Honeyball takes a look at the best 23 for Geelong ahead of the 2026 AFL season, noting ins and outs, key injuries, plus a look at relevant AFL Fantasy and SuperCoach players.
We’ve used quotes from Cats coach Chris Scott’s chat on afl.com.au’s Your Coach podcast to offer additional insight on relevant players.
Ins: Harley Barker (No.24 draft pick), Nick Driscoll (Rookie Draft), Hunter Holmes (No.33 draft pick), Jesse Mellor (Category B rookie), James Worpel (free agent, Hawthorn)
Outs: Ted Clohesy (delisted), Mitch Duncan (retired), Cam Guthrie (delisted), Xavier Ivisic (delisted), Patrick Retschko (trade, Richmond)
Key Injuries: Gryan Miers (thumb), Jeremy Cameron (quad), Patrick Dangerfield (calf), Tyson Stengle (personal)
Opening Round 23
B: C.O’Sullivan, S.De Koning, J.Henry
HB: Z.Guthrie, T.Stewart – C, L.Humphries
C: O.Dempsey, M.Holmes, M.O’Connor
HF: B.Close, S.Mannagh, G.Miers*
F: O.Henry, S.Neale, J.Martin
Foll: M.Blicavs, T.Atkins, B.Smith
I/C: T.Bruhn, O.Mullin, M.Knevitt, J.Worpel, J.Clark
*injury cloud
Relevant Players
Tanner Bruhn
Cats coach Chris Scott: “It’s just fantastic for him to get out there and be able to concentrate on footy after what is one of the most egregious injustices I can think of in the game… It’s his first game (back) but he’s really been training and he played a practice game against Carlton, he’s kind of ready to go.”
Mitch Edwards
Scott: “I have really liked (his pre-season) it. It feels like, especially for the people that watch us a little closer, it has been a long time coming for Mitch, and Toby Conway I am really confident will get there as well. He is a little bit slower, but those two guys give us room for optimism.
“If we could have them up and going at some point, we are going to have a ruck set-up that is different to the one we have gone with for the last decade and a half, since Brad Ottens retired. Really big guys who offer a point of difference to our incumbent ruckman.”
Jeremy Cameron, Gryan Miers, Bailey Smith, Lawson Humphries
