Veteran defender Tom Lonergan is relishing his role as an educator for the Cats younger brigade of backmen.

The 31-year-old has long been a calming presence in the defensive end for Geelong and is looking to pass on whatever knowledge he can to the next wave.

“If you’re a young defender and the ball’s coming in pretty quick, you certainly are thrown in the deep end,” Lonergan said.

“To be able to help Jake [Kolodjashnij] and Jackson [Thurlow] sort of develop their game without having the pressures of having to do everything, that’s where we see our role for the backline.”

For the first time in a long time, Lonergan has started the pre-season with a clean bill of health and says new defensive coach Matthew Scarlett has brought some fresh ideas to the table.

“I haven’t missed a session and the body’s in good shape. I didn’t have surgery at the end of the year, which always helps, and I’ve been able to do everything that’s been asked,” Lonergan said.

“We’ve got a new defensive coach in Scarlo who’s come on and brought some new ideas for the defenders to work on and he’s been fantastic.”