There has been plenty of talk this pre-season about what the Cats midfield might look like in 2025, with a number of different players putting their hand up for a spot in Geelong's on-ball division.
On Tuesday night that was clearly evident with numerous combinations rolling through stoppages, ranging from experienced heads like Patrick Dangerfield and Tom Stewart, to emerging talents such as Mitch Knevitt and Jhye Clark.
One player who certainly made the most of his opportunity was Jack Bowes, who found plenty of the footy and was instrumental in the Cats ball movement all night against Essendon.
With the final pre-season match done and dusted, Bowes provided insight into the Cats midfield philosophy and what you can expect to see from them in 2025.
"Particularly over the last few years, even when I came to the club off the back of the 2022 flag, I remember Joel [Selwood] and Paddy [Dangerfield] speaking about keeping it fresh and playing a selfless brand of footy," Bowes told K rock Football.
"I feel like throughout this pre-season, the coaches are open to throwing new people into the midfield, getting new looks and seeing what the right balance is for us.
"We are still figuring out what the right balance is, but it is good to see guys like Mitch Knevitt, Jhye Clark and Ollie Dempsey get experience through there."
Bowes' prolific performance against Essendon was a highlight for the Cats, as they fell by 21 points in their AAMI Community Series match at GMHBA Stadium.
The 27 year old accumulated a team high 31 disposals on Tuesday night, adding five clearances, five score involvements and a great goal in the second quarter to cap off a well rounded display.
It was reward for effort for Bowes, who told K rock Football that he has been working hard on his stoppage craft and skills during the pre-season.
"My contested craft, that has probably been the main thing I have been working on," Bowes said.
"Just being able to secure the footy and fight through tackles, trying to work on that side of my game.
"I work pretty hard with James Kelly after training, feeding the ball in. Obviously he has got a lot of experience and he is teaching me some tips and tricks.
"A lot of it is putting yourself in situations where there is a lot of pressure, you are getting tackled and just being able to stay composed and use the footy well.
"Those are the things I am working on at the moment."
