“I thought why not, and then on the Tuesday I caught up with a couple of guys in here [the AIA Vitality Centre] and the following day I had a medical and then I think the end of the day it was all pretty much good to go.”

The delisted free agency period will give an AFL lifeline to a host of players.

Geelong have signed former Carlton and Gold Coast forward Jack Martin.

Key forward Sam Day is being tipped to land at Brisbane after being axed by Gold Coast.

The Lions are on the lookout for more reinforcements in attack following Joe Daniher’s retirement at the age of 30.

Fremantle are eyeing off former Geelong and Port Adelaide forward Quinton Narkle.

Narkle is good friends with new Dockers recruit Shai Bolton, and he is expected to join Fremantle as a pre-season supplemental selection rather than as a delisted free agent.

Other players on the lookout for a new opportunity include former Cats forward Gary Rohan, ex-Hawthorn defender Denver Grainger-Barras, former Melbourne utility Adam Tomlinson and Geelong premiership midfielder Brandan Parfitt.

AAP

Anthony Stevens’ son a step closer to joining the Roos

Marc McGowan

The son of North Melbourne’s dual premiership great Anthony Stevens is one step closer to becoming a Kangaroo after the club officially nominated him as a father-son prospect.

The decision means North can match a potential draft bid from another club on River Stevens, a 176-centimetre forward from the Geelong Falcons.

The 18-year-old averaged 15.4 disposals and more than a goal a game for the Falcons this year, while bouncing between attack and the midfield.

He also played two matches for Vic Country at the under-18 championships, highlighted by a two-goal performance against South Australia.

Geelong re-sign a trio of premiership stars

Russell Bennett

Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield has signed a new deal with the Cats that, fitness permitting, will lead to him becoming just the 25th player in VFL/AFL history to reach the 350-game milestone.

Dangerfield, 34, has signed on with Geelong until at least the end of 2026, while Mitch Duncan and big man Rhys Stanley have each signed new one-year deals to take them through to the end of 2025.

Dangerfield has served as Geelong skipper since the retirement of Joel Selwood following the 2022 premiership, and is an eight-time All-Australian. He played 154 games with the Crows from 2008 to 2015, winning their best and fairest in his final season with the club.

He has since won four best-and-fairest awards with Geelong, won the Leigh Matthews Trophy in 2016, and won the Gary Ayres Award in 2022 for the AFL’s best finals player.

Duncan has played 296 games since being selected with the 28th pick in the 2009 draft. He’s set to become the seventh Cat to reach the 300-game milestone for the club, following Sam Newman, Ian Nankervis, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins.

Duncan is a two-time premiership player at Geelong and played 22 matches in 2024.