Ollie Henry will play his first VFL game for Geelong this weekend after failing to win back his spot at AFL level.
The 22-year-old was managed out of the Cats’ win over Gold Coast last week, but will have to press his claims for a return to the senior team at state league level, starting tomorrow against Werribee at Chirnside Park.
After 41 goals in 2023 and 37 last year, including four in the preliminary final loss to the Brisbane Lions, following his arrival from Collingwood, Henry has struggled to recapture that form in the first half of the season.
He will be joined in the VFL by rookie midfielder Ted Clohesy, who was the late replacement for Bailey Smith last week.
However, despite 15 disposals and eight tackles, the St Joseph’s product isn’t even part of Geelong’s 26-man squad.
Also missing out is the versatile Jack Bowes, who, after missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury, will be the AFL carryover.
“We have put a bit of thought into the possibility or the probability that we’d get a bit of a squeeze in this part of the year,” coach Chris Scott said.
“We still have one or two that we’re confident will come back into our team; (Jake) Kolodjashinj is the one that sort of springs to mind that will come back as well.
“So, it is going to be a little bit of a juggle. And when I say we’ve put a lot of thought into it, it’s not necessarily that we’ve come up with great answers.
“But it probably reinforces to us that we do need to manage our list, which has been our way for a long, long time, and just reinforce that the team we pick in any one particular week shouldn’t be read as what we think is our absolute best 22.
“It’s very situational and does give some thought to the longer term. So, what we’re doing this week won’t, I don’t think, be a forerunner to even the next week.
“And given we have a bye after that, it’s certainly going to change after that. But, it’s a reasonable observation; it’s pretty tight at the moment.”
Scott admits it’s not easy balancing the management of the list, including rewarding younger players for VFL form.
He concedes it’s an area they didn’t get right last year.
“We think we’ve learned a few lessons there, but it doesn’t necessarily make it easier,” Scott said.
“I’ve been at the Cats 15 years and we’ve always had a bias towards thinking about how we can get opportunity for younger players, and it doesn’t feel much easier now than it did 15 years ago, to be honest.”
Joining Henry and Clohesy as VFL inclusions are rookie Xavier Ivisic and VFL-listed big man Nathan Kreuger.
They replace injured AFL veteran Cam Guthrie, draftee Keighton Matofai-Forbes (managed), and VFL-listed pair Kobe George (managed) and Tanner Lewis.
X: @krockfootball
GEELONG VFL TEAM
| B | X. Ivisic (25) | D. Capiron (50) | M. Herbert (62) |
| HB | C. Burke (41) | C. McCartin (51) | O. Henry (36) |
| C | P. Retschko (27) | G. Stevens (15) | N. Kreuger (69) |
| HF | J. Clark (13) | J. Polkinghorne (2) | T. Murray (61) |
| F | O. Wiltshire (21) | K. Annand (59) | T. Clohesy (40) |
| R | J. Pike (37) | M. Knevitt (10) | J. Bews (24) |
| INT | W. Rantall (75) | J. Rantall (55) | P. Kelly (74) |
| J. Ballantyne (57) | D. Madigan (65) | ||
| 23rd Player | W. Rantall (75) | ||
| EMG | T. Wyburd (54) | T. White (63) | P. De Grandi (60) |
| P. Hughes (64) | T. Lewis (66) | K. George (67) | |
| F. Katsaros (71) | H. Lucas (82) | ||
| IN | X. Ivisic | O. Henry | T. Clohesy |
| N. Kreuger | |||
| OUT | C. Guthrie (Injured) | K. Matofai-Forbes (Managed) | T. Lewis |
| K. George (Managed) | |||
