GEELONG star Steven Motlop "definitely" wants to stay with the club and won't be lured away by a rival offer, Cats football manager Steve Hocking says.
Focus has quickly turned to a host of big-name Cats falling out of contract, after a flat 48-point loss to Collingwood on Friday night brought the curtain down on one of the great eras of sustained AFL success.
Geelong is out of contention for a ninth-consecutive finals berth, with speculation mounting about the futures of a host of champion veterans beyond this season.
But Motlop, 24, looms as the key re-signing from the current playing list, along with ever-improving ruckman Mark Blicavs.
Speaking to K-Rock radio station prior to the loss to the Magpies, Hocking said Blicavs was on the verge of putting pen to paper and was confident that Motlop would turn his back on a potentially bigger pay-day elsewhere.
"Blicavs, it's any week, probably any day (to sign a new deal). And Motlop definitely wants to stay at Geelong," Hocking said.
"It's just really his manager and the club just getting the right deal and agreeing to what I think is fair enough on his front, and … he's a restricted free agent in 12 months' time, so how do you contract through that?
"I think that's a very reasonable question to be asking."
Although Motlop had a relatively quiet night against the Magpies with 15 touches and a goal, his line-breaking speed and match-turning X-factor make him a rare commodity – and an attractive target for rival clubs.
"He may be a player that's got some interest from other clubs - it's not of interest to him," Hocking said of the 87-gamer.
"He wants to stay at Geelong and he's made that quite clear to us. I think it's more around the free agency part of it, that's a changing landscape for clubs and how do you see someone of that talent?
"He influences so many parts of the game and the way we play and he's a great finisher as well, as we saw last week. It's trying to reach and land on a point that is suitable to both parties."
Hocking said tall defender Jake Kolodjashnij was also "very keen" to stay with the Cats.
The 20-year-old has played eight of the past nine games after making his debut in round 12 against Melbourne.
"Someone like Kolodjashnij has just started out and is still finding his feet," Hocking said.
"We've been really impressed with what he's done to this point in time. He's a solid citizen, so he's certainly someone that you can build a future around at the back end."