RETIREMENTS DONE; RE-SIGNINGS CONTINUE WITH COREY ENRIGHT PLAYING ON
Ben Jensen 13 September 2015

AFL GEELONG COREY ENRIGHT is the latest veteran Cat to have his future confirmed, he will go around again in season 2016 as strongly suspected after the 309-game player was not among the other confirmed retirees ahead of the Cats' final game of the season against the Adelaide Crows last weekend. He joins fellow Premiership players who's futures were subject to speculation Jimmy Bartel, Andrew Mackie and Tom Lonergan who will all play on.

And for the more recent crop of Cats the good news is Steve Motlop, Mark Blicavs and Jake Kolodjashnij have all inked new contracts. Motlop was one under serious threat of going elsewhere and attracted attention from across the entire competition. Blicavs was little chance to even think of leaving while Kolodjashnij has cemented a spot in the AFL side in the last two month or so but could have been forgiven for wondering if there were greener pastures elsewhere as he spent the last two seasons mostly in the VFL with twin brother Jade already a regular with Gold Coast.

Going are Premiership players Steve Johnson, Mathew Stokes and James Kelly. Also leaving are Jared Rivers, Hamish McIntosh, Sam Blease. Johnson was told the Tuesday before the final game he would not be offered a contract extension in a meeting with coach Chris Scott and Geelong's list management team including Steve Hocking. He put forward an argument he was worth giving another season but the Cats were having none of it. It’s all pretty raw still at the moment" he told the Footy Show on Thursday night.

What they said

“It’s all pretty raw still at the moment. I feel like physically I’m feeling reasonably good and I’d like that chance to prove that I’ve got a little bit left in the tank. I copped it on the chin, I didn’t want to make a song and dance about it. I certainly put a case forward as to why I could be handy to keep on the list.” – Steve Johnson.

“The club made me an offer earlier in the year but I wanted to wait until the end of the season before making a decision,” Enright said.

“My body feels good and the coaches are happy with the way I am playing and I am keen to go on. It was disappointing to miss the finals this year but I think we have a good group of players and we will be back contending next season.

“I will take some time to freshen up and I’m looking forward to getting back for pre-season in November.” – Corey Enright.

“We've shown some really positive signs this year, and it is exciting to think about what we can bring to the table next year. But we've got a lot of hard work to go, that's for sure. So we're going to go away for a couple of months and enjoy the break, then we'll come back knowing that we're ready to put in the hard work. And whoever we recruit into the team or draft into the team, I'm sure they'll fit into the place nicely, which will be good.” – Mark Blicavs.

“This is an exciting time at the club and it’s great to be playing alongside so many talented players that are coming through. We didn’t achieve what we hoped for this year, but the blocks are in place for more success. We are hungry to get back into the finals and I know we all feel the same way.” – Andrew Mackie.

“I’m very excited, another couple of years with the Cats. I’m very comfortable down here in Geelong, I love the lifestyle and I love the people and I really love the footy club so it’s good to get the deal done this week. I’m very comfortable down here, I’ve got a lot of friends and pretty much family down here so I’m pretty happy.” <Watch Video- http://www.afl.com.au/video?guid=789404> – Steven Motlop.

"I started off in the VFL, and I was very happy to finish off in the AFL team. That was my goal. I got some good experience and hopefully I can lock myself into a spot in our best 22 for the start of next season, then go on from there. Talking to the coaches, they want me to be able to play on tall and small players. Playing on Eddie Betts was a good thing for me in the last round. I learned heaps from that. He probably had the better of me on the day, but it was something to learn from, and I really want to be able to play on those types of guys in the future." – Jake Kolodjashnij.

WHO'S GONE

Steve Johnson

- 253 games with the Cats

- Not ruling out continuing his career elsewhere

- Found out in the week leading up to his final game, didn't see it coming

James Kelly

- 273 games with the Cats

- Has made little comment on future

Mathew Stokes

- 189 games with the Cats

- Won't be seeking another AFL club

Jared Rivers

- 194 AFL games; 44 with Geelong

Hamish McIntosh

- 126 AFL games; 29 with Geelong

Sam Blease

Brad Hartman

James Toohey

VETERANS STAYING

Andrew Mackie

Corey Enright

Jimmy Bartel

Tom Lonergan

OTHERS RE-SIGNED

Steve Motlop

Mark Blicavs

Jake Kolodjashnij

IN DOUBT (RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY, WITH US THEY ARE)?

Dawson Simpson

Josh Walker

Shane Kersten

Cameron Delaney

Josh Cowan

George Horlin-Smith