Geelong Cats will highlight the contribution that regional football clubs make to the game of Australian Football with its commemorative guernsey for the annual Country Game against Essendon.

The traditional Country Game between Geelong and Essendon is an annual celebration of the connections both clubs share to regional and rural communities, particularly through the players from those regions who have represented the clubs.

Geelong’s 2024 Regional Guernsey includes the colours of every Cats AFL player’s junior or local club – whether Australian Rules or Gaelic Football – in a stripe around the middle Hoop, with each player’s guernsey also individualised to feature their junior club logo.

In total, 37 clubs are represented on the guernseys, including AFL Barwon clubs Anglesea, Barwon Heads, Grovedale, Leopold, Newtown and Chilwell, Queenscliff, South Barwon, St Joseph’s and St Mary’s.

St Mary’s and Sunbury are the two most-represented clubs, which each having three players on the Cats’ 2024 list. Jack Henry, Ollie Henry and Toby Conway all made their way to the AFL via the Saints, while Cameron Guthrie, Zach Guthrie and Mark Blicavs all played their junior football with the Lions.

The guernseys also feature clubs from South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Ireland-based Gaelic Football teams Dingle (Mark O’Connor), Mayo (Oisin Mullin) and Portlaoise (Zach Tuohy) are also all represented.

Fans can purchase their own Regional Guernsey from The Cats Shop. Stock is limited, so get in quick to get your hands on one this year’s Geelong Cats Regional Guernseys.