Outspoken media pundit Kane Cornes has suggested that if Geelong is to bow out of the premiership race with back-to-back losses, then they should consider moving key names this off-season.
Speaking in the wake of the Cats' heavy Qualifying Final loss to his old side on Friday night, Cornes raised the notion of moving on 2020 All-Australian Cameron Guthrie during the upcoming trade period.
“If they were to go out in straight sets, they have a player like Cam Guthrie who is out of contract right now,” the 300-gamer said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“We all love Guthrie, he’s been such a consistent player. But he’s 29 and wants a four-year deal on big money, do they start a soft rebuild where they let Guthrie go to get a compensation pick in and start to do those type of things."
Guthrie is set to come out-of-contract with the Kardinia Park club at the cessation of this season and failed to improve his negotiating hand after collecting just 17-disposals in the loss to Port Adelaide - his second worst return of the season.
Despite this nigh on nadir, Cornes claimed that if the Cats could claw back to win the flag this season, then the Calder Cannons product's demands would almost certainly be met.
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“If you win and go to another Grand Final, then you probably go ahead and sign up Cam Guthrie, but they don’t have a lot of options because of the [Jeremy Cameron] trade," he said.
Across his Saturday morning stint on radio waves, Cornes also likened the recruitment of Jeremy Cameron to a last ditch throw at the stumps.
Like Guthrie, Cameron failed to cover himself in glory during the defeat that eliminated a straight forward path to a Preliminary Final, with the Dartmoor deadeye recording just 10-touches and a singular goal.
The vanquished Cats will now fly to Perth and await a result from Saturday afternoon's Elimination Final clash between Sydney and GWS to determine their Semi-Final opponent.
