CATS recruit Sam Menegola will use Mathew Stokes’ career as inspiration after being handed the No. 27 guernsey.

Stokes was 21 when Geelong took a punt on him in the 2005 national draft, but he went on and played in two premierships during a brilliant 189-game career.

Menegola, who has been drafted by the Cats at the ripe old age of 23, seems on a similar footy journey.

And having failed to play an AFL game while rookie-listed by Hawthorn and Fremantle, he hoping his new number will bring him good luck as he tries to make the grade at his third attempt.

“It is a bit humbling [to receive Stokes’ number],” Menegola said at Simonds Stadium on Tuesday. “He’s done a lot.

“All the blokes before me have done a lot in that jumper.

“Hopefully I can achieve a bit of what they did.

Ryan Gardner has been handed the No. 20 guernsey, previously worn with great distinction by fan-favourite Steve Johnson (and long before that by the man Geelong’s best and fairest is named after, ‘Carji’ Greeves).

But the 18-year-old Tasmanian doesn’t believe his new number will put him under extra pressure to succeed.

“I’m happy to have the number … but I’m really just going to try and make my own legacy, to be honest,” he said.

“I know [Stevie’s] a big name, and a lot of people probably think I’ve got to live up to something, but it’s about making my own legacy.”

Like the Cats’ other draftees, Gardner is rapt to suddenly be an AFL player.

“It feels unbelievable,” he said. 

“I’ve been looking forward to getting over here and putting the guernsey on.”

To watch our video wrap of the draftees’ first press conference, click on the video player at the top of the page