Despite the fact that the Cats seem to exclusively recruit 30-year-olds, there are more than a few youngsters worth keeping your eye on at the Cats this season!
Keep on reading to find out who I think is worth picking up in 2022!
Take a listen to our latest podcast: Pre-season 2022: Geelong, Gold Coast and GWS
Max Holmes
This is the guy that I’m most excited about at the Cats this season. I know Dossy is too so I want to get it down on the record first!
Holmes averaged 56.6 in his 7 regular-season games in his debut season. He averaged 6 kicks, 8 handballs and 3 tackles a game. He also featured in 2 of the 3 Finals for the Cats including their Preliminary Final loss.
His best Fantasy game came in Round 23 against the eventual premiers in the Demons. In that game, he had 18 touches and 7 tackles for 74 points from 65% TOG. He also brought the heat in their Semi-Final against the Giants where he had 10 touches and 8 tackles.
He averaged 74 points in five VFL matches, which included a 91 point PB in Round 11.
Holmes won the Cats Best Young Player Award (which I assume is valid for anyone under 30) so this shows just how good his debut season was. From what I’ve seen, I think he’s a talent that the Cats will genuinely want to persist with.
Obviously, there is always a risk with getting too excited about kids from Geelong as they tend to favour the pensioners over the youth. And if there is one little knock from what we’ve seen so far in Holmes’ form so far is that in 6 of his 9 games he averaged more handballs than kicks. I’m willing to forgive that as a youngster in the Cats side, as he is probably more willing or instructed to give off to the big guns.
With his MID/FWD status this season, I see Holmes as a real free swing. Forwards are light on and he is one who provides a lot of value late in drafts.
If the Cats season tanks and they go downhill, there is a huge chance of more responsibility through in midfield for Holmes as well.
Jon Ceglar
He’s the new kid on the block at the Cats and only a whippersnapper at 30 years of age!
Big Cegs is obviously a proven fantasy scorer but at the moment I’m concerned about where he fits in their side, or what their best lineup looks like.
Rhys Stanley has been the number one for a few years, Ratugolea can ruck and play forward, then add in youngsters Neale and Conway. So where does Ceglar fit on the Cats depth chart? If you take Stanley, Ratugolea and Ceglar, I’m not sure they can all play when you add in Hawkins and Cameron.
Ceglar averaged 76.4 points in 12 games for the Hawks last season. He gets around the ground well for a big guy, averaging 6 kicks, 9 handballs, 4 marks and 21 hit-outs per game.
Ceglar is a ruck only option in fantasy and if you draft him, you have to draft Stanley too and possibly even Ratugolea. It’s going to be a big pre-season watch on the Cats rucks as I don’t particularly like Ceglar’s potential output rucking in tandem. In his time at the Hawks, he scored best when playing as the solo ruck.
At this stage, it looks like the new year, the same rule for me. Avoid Cats’ rucks.
Sam Simpson
Simpson caught everyone’s eye in 2020 when he got the call up in Round 6 against the Lions and scored 102 AFL Fantasy points (126 BCV). He stayed in the side until Round 12 but never hit the heights of that game again.
Many had him on their watchlist in 2021 but it wasn’t to be, he managed only four games for the season (mostly due to injury) including an appearance in their first final with limited TOG.
To me, he looks a little one-paced and he’s potentially running out of time as 2022 will be his sixth year on the list. The Cats have a settled forward line and guys like Holmes seemed to have bypassed him on the depth charts. Add in a couple of nice draftees and Tyson Stengle and I see it hard for Simpson to make an impact at AFL level this year.
Jack Henry
Jack Henry is a defender I have plenty of time for. He was Runner-up in the Cats Best & Fairest last season and from a Fantasy point of view, I just love his consistency
Henry averaged 66 for the season and finished off pretty well to average 70 points from his last 5 games.
Henry rarely puts in a bad game with 16 of his 21 games resulting in scores of 60+. While he hasn’t shown a huge ceiling he has put up some solid scores of 99 and 96.
I genuinely believe Henry could get to be a ‘set and forget’ D4/5 or worst case just become great bench cover. He averages 14 touches and 6 marks a game and Geelong’s chip-mark game style coming out of the back half is great for fantasy.
The major issue for Henry at the moment is he has a ‘hotspot’ on his foot and is currently in a moon boot. I don’t love drafting guys who have had pre-season injuries so just monitor this over the coming months.
He’s only 23 years old and is someone I can see progressing to more of an attacking defender. From a Fantasy point of view, I think he can become a player like Nick Haynes, who can get you that low to mid-70s average for the majority of his career.
Nick Stevens
My gut feel flyer for the Cats is this young defender.
Stevens had a solid debut season at VFL level playing 8 matches for a 77 average. His best game of the season was a 103 point outing in Round 12.
The wraps on him coming out of the 2020 draft were that he is a very classy ball user and an excellent decision-maker.
At 192cm, he’s a natural candidate for that third tall position which we know can be fantasy friendly.
His first year VFL numbers were solid, especially as he’s hardly played any footy in the last two years thanks to the pandemic.
Lachie Henderson has departed which could free up a spot for him but with Blicavs, Koldjasnij, Bews, Henry and Stewart all back there, it’s highly likely he’ll need to bide his time this season but he’s a player one I’m keen to chuck in the black book.
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