1 Mitch Brown
The young defender played five AFL games in 2013, where he averaged 11.6 disposals per game with 7.4 kicks, 4.2 handballs and 4.4 marks. This year the 23 year old played his best footy in Geelong’s VFL side. During the year he played 17 games in the VFL, including three finals, where he averaged 16.2 effective disposals per game. Brown also showcased his talent up front where he kicked a bag of four goals against Collingwood in round 6 and Bendigo Gold in round 19.
Amos's review
Due to the form of our key position guys, he got starved of opportunities in the AFL. But he performed as well as any key defender in the VFL. He finished runner-up in our VFL best and fairest, and I thought he acquitted himself really well in the few AFL games that he did play. He played quite well down here at Simonds Stadium against St Kilda. He's certainly starting to develop an ability to play on much bigger opponents. He did quite a good job on some big forwards in the VFL. If he can get bigger and stronger and build up his confidence over the pre-season, he will get the chance to establish himself a bit more as a regular AFL player.
2 Billie Smedts
The 21 year-old forward/midfielder played 13 AFL games and averaged 10.8 possessions, 3.1 tackles and 3.1 marks, which gave him an average of 53.9 dreamteam points per game. It was round 7 against Essendon where Smedts really demonstrated his craft up front at Etihad Stadium, after delivering a total of 15 disposals, six tackles, three marks and two goals.
Amos's review
He pushed up and played quite a bit of AFL footy and kicked some crucial goals. He certainly showed he can cope with the demands of AFL footy. Played some great VFL footy at the end of the year. He looks too comfortable at VFL-level to stay there any longer. He just looks a class above when he's in the VFL. Billie's ready to take the next step and become a regular and consistent AFL player. That's where he at. He has played forward and back at various stages and has looked comfortable at either end of the ground.
3 Jimmy Bartel
In 2013 Bartel took to the back of the stage to join the Cats defence force and it didn’t take him long to find his feet. During 24 games Bartel averaged 23.2 disposals with 14.7 kicks and 8.5 handballs per game, along with 5.5 marks and 3.5 tackles. Overall, Bartel had another consistent season with only 35 clangers out of 558 disposals, giving him an average of 94.7 dreamteam points per game.
Amos's review
I thought his year was really solid, in what was probably his first consistent period playing as a defender. He'd been a midfielder and a forward prior to this year, and I think he adapted really well to his new role. I think he became really important for us as a defender. He played on talls and smalls, and we really liked his ball-use out of the back half and his marking. I think he can be even better in that role next season, but he still has the flexibility to play in the midfield or up forward.
