Geelong’s West Australian recruits Mitch Edwards and Lawson Humphries have been greeted with typical wet and windy conditions as they land at Kardinia Park for their first look at an AFL pre-season training.
The two recruits were taken in last week’s National Draft, with Edwards at pick 32 and Humphries with Geelong’s final selection at number 63.
20-year-old Humphries comes straight out of the WAFL as a mature-age recruit after starring for Swan Districts, and he says he’s looking forward to settling in interstate.
“I feel like (the Cats) have the support networks that are in place; they’ve kind of been trusted and have worked before,” he said.
“Pretty confident that I have the right support around me to be the best player I can be at the Cats
“(I’m) feeling pretty comfortable with it.”
AFLW: CATS CAREER ENDS WITH A BROKEN HAND
Edwards said it’s a dream come true to join Geelong, a club he has supported from a young age, admitting he was unsure whether he would get to the Cats.
“I had no idea, to be honest, the Cats they didn’t give too much away, really,” he said.
“It was a great surprise being a massive Cats fan when I was younger, so (I) couldn’t ask for anything better.”
24-year-old Category B rookie Joe Furphy also spoke to the media on Thursday for the first time since joining the Cats in September.
The ex-basketballer signed for Geelong after representing multiple Victorian junior basketball representative teams but also played one Talent League game for the Northern Knights in 2018.
The 203cm ruckman said working closely with some experienced rucks and new assistant coach Steven King has helped him develop quickly.
“It’s been great, especially with Steven King coming in as another midfield-ruck coach,” he said.
“Working with Rhys Stanley and Toby Conway and some of the younger rucks as well, it’s been great to learn off them.
“Coming in from not much ruck experience at all and then having all these resources around me, it’s really helped.”
