FOUR NEW CATS JOIN THE LITTER
Ben Jensen 19 November 2010

GEELONG drafted four new players at Thursday's AFL National Draft. First picked was Billie Smedts from the Geelong Falcons, whose father Alby played fifty-odd games for the Bulldogs in the late 1970's, with overall pick number fifteen. Next up were Cameron Guthrie with pick twenty-three from the Calder Cannons, George Horlin-Smith (Sturt, pick thirty-seven) and Jordan Schroder (Calder, pick fifty-four). Smedts and Guthrie are described as medium forwards, Schroder a midfielder and Horlin-Smith an excellent cricketer. And of course we should not forget to highlight that James Podsiadly was elevated to the senior list, in exchange for the Cats' pick number fifty-eight.

Official Draft statement from the Cats:

Geelong Cats recruiting manager Stephen Wells is delighted with the huge upside he sees in his 2010 NAB AFL Draft class.

"We were really happy with the way the draft panned out for us. We've drafted four players that we think have got outstanding talent with plenty of room for development in them as well.

"They'll be given every opportunity to grow and progress with the coaching at our club. We love the fact that they can all win their own football, they have excellent skills and can play in a number of different positions.

"We came with an open mind. We would have been happy to draft tall players or runners or whichever ways it turned out, but when it came to our picks we were very pleased to be able to call out those players' names."

Selection No.15: Billie Smedts (Geelong Falcons)
"Billie has got outstanding talent. He can play in almost any position on the ground. He's a good athlete, we love his marking and his ball use, so Billie's got a great opportunity to stay and continue to develop at Geelong."

Selection No.23: Cameron Guthrie (Calder Cannons)
"Cameron played well in a very good team in the Calder Cannons in a number of different roles. He did a good job with the Vic Metro team as well."

Selection No.37: George Horlin-Smith (Sturt)
"He's a little bit more of a punt than the other two players in that he hasn't played a lot of footy. He was very good for Sturt when he played a few games this year, but other than that it's been mainly school football for him. Coming from a cricket background we feel he's got a great opportunity to improve, not having done pre-seasons or having had elite coaching yet."

Selection No.54: Jordan Schroder (Calder Cannons)
"We love the fact that he's just such a good goal kicker as an inside midfielder. His hands in helping his teammates get the ball from inside situations are outstanding. He's a very tough player."