In addition to a slew of rival clubs, Geelong is thought to be considering moving from its current No.8 position.
The 2023 National Draft is set to begin on Monday at 7:00 PM (AEDT) at Marvel Stadium, as clubs across the league continue to consider swapping selections to secure their desired draftee(s).
The Cats, who currently have six options on Monday and Tuesday nights, are set to enter the competition at the eighth spot, where they are expected to compete for Victorian forward Nate Caddy, tall Allies defender Connor O’Sullivan, and hybrid Murray Bushranger Darcy Wilson.
However, after a likely top-three bid on Gold Coast Academy star Jed Walter – and a potential top-ten bid on fellow Palm Beach Currumbin product Ethan Read – Geelong’s top pick could fall as low as No.10.
Regardless of where the pick ultimately falls, Geelong was previously thought to be open to moving elsewhere in the first-round order, but Cats recruiting boss Stephen Wells has all but ruled that out ahead of night one.
“It is highly likely that we will keep pick eight,” Wells told Gettable on Sunday.
“I am sure Andrew (Mackie) and our team will consider whatever offers come our way, but at this point, we are planning on picking at pick eight.”
“We’ve thought about what might be options, even things that haven’t been discussed with other clubs yet.”
“We’re attempting to plan for what might happen on the night, but it will depend on which players come through to us.”
“We’ve done a lot of work on what we think is a really talented and well-credentialed group of players for our pick eight, but if there are offers that come in, Andrew (Mackie) will be thinking about them.”
Geelong’s second selection is currently ranked No. 25 in the second round, giving the Kardinia Park stalwart the opportunity to potentially pounce on a first-round talent who has unexpectedly slipped to the second round.
“We think there is going to be good players right through the draft and certainly in the 20s and 30s there is going to be,” Wells said.
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“I think we’ve got a bit of a luxury where that pick is going to be the third pick on the second night, so we will be able to go away after Monday night’s draft and do a bit more discussion on what we might pick on Tuesday night.”
While a Cats pick exchange has recently been mentioned, the majority of draft trade speculation has focused on the West Coast Eagles, GWS Giants, and the ambiguity surrounding Dan Curtin’s landing spot.
West Coast is almost certain to take Harley Reid in the first round on Monday, but it has also been reported that it is interested in re-entering the first-round order later on to nab Curtin, a Claremont product who may prefer to stay in his home state.
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However, the Eagles aren’t the only team interested in Curtin, with North Melbourne, Hawthorn, Melbourne, the Giants, and the Adelaide Crows also rumored to be interested.
If he was selected by Geelong, he’d almost certainly be a candidate for Chris Scott’s Cats as well.
Where the West Australian lands is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing storylines to follow as the count begins on Monday evening.
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