Geelong is keeping faith with Toby Conway, signing the injury-prone ruck to a two-year contract extension.
The 206cm 21-year-old will remain in the Hoops until at least the end of 2027.
Conway, who joined the Cats with pick 25 in the 2021 National Draft, has been limited to just six matches since making his debut in the final round of 2023.
He is well down the track with his recovery from a back injury, and coach Chris Scott is hopeful he and fellow young big Mitch Edwards (pelvis) will see action in the first half of the season.
“I think what the Toby one (contract) specifically is is an indication of the way we’ve sort of thought about Toby for a long time,” Scott said.
“And when I try to explain that Toby’s a long-term prospect for us, and we’re not thinking sort of week to week right at the moment, it can sound a bit hollow until you get some sort of vindication in the form of a long-term contract.
“So, hopefully, that all starts to make a bit more sense now.”
Conway is the club’s fifth re-signing in the past week, joining forward quartet Jeremy Cameron, Shannon Neale, Ollie Henry and Brad Close.
“Since being drafted to Geelong, the club has been amazing,” he said.
“I have been surrounded by a good bunch of boys and have developed really important relationships that I will build on in the next couple of years”, Conway said.
“The relationships I have built with the young boys, especially, and having family down the road, made extending my time here an easy decision.
“All the coaches here are unbelievable and help you facilitate your own program in a lot of ways, which suits me and how I go about it and have enjoyed every bit of my time here so far.”
Geelong will look to build on its impressive 78-point win over Fremantle to open the new season when it faces St Kilda at Marvel Stadium tomorrow (Saturday) night.
The Saints, coming off a 63-point loss to Adelaide to begin their campaign, had the better of the Cats when the two teams last met.
In that Round 23 clash last year, Geelong gave up a 33-point half-time lead before suffering an 18-point loss.
Coach Chris Scott says the result holds some weight heading into this clash.
“It was really clear that for a portion of that game, they were just too good for us in the way that game was played,” he said.
“So I think it’s relevant now because the game is slightly different at Marvel compared to the way it’s played, say, at Adelaide Oval last week or Geelong the week before.
“And interestingly, in Round 23, it’s different again because you’re coming out of, you know, you’re coming out of a Melbourne winter.
“So the way the game’s played when it’s wet at the MCG in August compared to the same night at Marvel, that makes a huge difference.
“And we didn’t adjust well enough, we didn’t think.”
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