B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt
HB: Joel Corey, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright
C: James Kelly, Jimmy Bartel, Andrew Mackie
HF: Mitch Duncan, Cameron Mooney, Paul Chapman
F: Matthew Stokes, James Podsiadly, Steve Johnson
FOLL: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Travis Varcoe
I/C: Daniel Menzel, Cameron Ling, David Wojcinski
SUB: Tom Hawkins
Injury list
Paul Chapman (groin) - 2-3 weeks
Marcus Drum (ankle) - 3-4 weeks
Cameron Ling (hamstring) - 1-2 weeks
James Podsiadly (broken hand) - 2-3 weeks
Most valuable player
The departure of Gary Ablett to the Gold Coast Suns has left a huge hole in the Geelong midfield, so big things will be needed from 2007 Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel if the Cats are to challenge for another premiership. Bartel has had a great summer on the track, shaking off the elbow injury that plagued him in 2010.
Track specialist
Darren Milburn, who turns 34 in April, is the oldest player on Geelong's list. He was expected to retire at the end of last season, but has been reinvigorated by the arrival of new coach Chris Scott after electing to play on. If his performances in the NAB Cup are anything to go by, there are a few good games left in the ‘old’ boy yet.
Dream Team special
All pre-season, Chris Scott has been trumpeting his intention to give plenty of young players a go this season. With that in mind, we think half-forward Mitch Duncan, who has been in great touch during the NAB Cup and NAB Challenge games, is a steal. Priced at $278,200, Duncan has the added bonus of being a dual-position player (forward and midfielder).
Pivotal match View the full Cats fixture here
Given what happened at the end of last season, when the Bombers pinched Geelong's premiership coach Mark Thompson and his much-admired assistant Brendan McCartney, the round 15 clash between the Cats and Essendon shapes as a must-watch affair. It will certainly be interesting to see what sort of reception Thompson gets from the Geelong fans.
Draftee watch
George Horlin-Smith not only has a great name, he's also got talent to burn. Just a couple of years ago he was captaining Australia's under-16 cricket team, but now he's fully focused on footy and is desperate to play a senior game in his first season. The Cats have signalled their regard for the South Australian youngster by handing him Max Rooke's old number 33.
The Cats will have a good year if…
Their experienced players can stay fit and continue to have an impact on games. Veterans like Brad Ottens, Joel Corey and Cameron Ling are slowing down and becoming more injury-prone, but the Cats will struggle to match St Kilda, Collingwood and the Bulldogs without their cool heads and big bodies.
The big issues
Will it be a case of no Ablett, no Geelong? The question of just how important Little Gary was to the Cats is about to be answered.
Will Chris Scott’s game plan tweaks have the desired impact? Geelong was great when attacking but terrible when trying to stop the best teams last year. The players must improve the defensive side of their game to stay in the top four.
Will Geelong have to put up with another year of speculation about a star player moving to a new club? Jimmy Bartel is coming out of contract at the end of the year, and Greater Western Sydney is poised to offer him a pay-packet that would dwarf the GDP of a developing nation.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
