In major coups for those of a Geelong persuasion, rising stars Oisin Mullin and Connor O'Sullivan have extended their stays at Kardinia Park until the end of 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Both men credit the Club with ensuring easy transitions to the Geelong area, having moved to the surf coast from Ireland, and Albury, respectively.
"Geelong feels like a perfect fit, being from Albury," O'Sullivan said.
"Not much has changed since moving down; it's a little bit bigger of a town, but in terms of how everyone is as people, and the community and things like that, I'm very grateful that it's not a very hard transition to make."
In his second season, the 6'6" O'Sullivan has emerged as one of the league's brightest key position prospects, with his imposing frame, one-on-one aptitude and safe ball use, features of his game.
"I tried to not put too much expectation on myself at the start of this season," he said.
"For me, it was just trying to develop as much as I could from the experiences I got both at AFL and VFL level last year.
"The coaches and the support staff have invested their full confidence in me. Last year was a lot about finding my feet, and my routine, and what works for me as a full-time footballer. This year was all about putting it into practice."
Mullin has been deployed as a defender and a tagger in his time with the Cats, which began in late 2022, after making the move from Ireland, where he was a highly touted Gaelic Football prospect.
"I'm pretty happy, I've been loving it so far. Loving the journey, the club, and Geelong," he said.
"My family and friends are at home, and I'll continue to miss that, but Geelong (the club) has made Geelong (the city) feel like home very quickly.
"My first introduction to AFL as a sport goes back to 2019, when I first done (sic) a combine in Ireland in December. The Cats got in contact in 2021, and kept in contact from there. I was meant to come over for the 2022 season, but that got delayed until the end of the ‘22 season, so I was over for the 2023 season. So it was quite a journey before getting here, but I'm delighted with how it's gone so far.
"It's not a decision I made lightly, but since coming over, I haven't looked back. The Irish lads here have all been through that same transition, so it was good to have them to lean on."
On tagging, Mullin expressed a desire to play wherever the team may need him.
"That's something that coaches decide; (it's about) just being flexible to what the team needs on a certain day, and it (tagging) obviously gives me the opportunity to learn off some of the best players in the league, which is beneficial for my own personal development," he said.
One player he's been tasked with tagging this season is Magpies star Nick Daicos, who former Cat Zac Touhy once famously compared Mullin to.
"Obviously, Nick is such a highly rated player, so it was a great opportunity to go out there, play on him and see how he goes about it. He's a very strong runner, and how he makes space for himself is very interesting to see up close," he said.
Both players expressed gratitude at the selection opportunities afforded to them this season, having missed just two games between them.
"I'm delighted with my form this year, with regards to consistent selection," Mullin said.
"I'm just happy to have the backing of the coaches."
Both young men will be hopeful of cementing their positions as finals action approaches, and both expressed anticipation at the prospect of elimination football.
"We were pretty fortunate, particularly at the start of the year, to play in some exciting games, and that gave me a little bit of a teaser as to what a finals series could be like," O'Sullivan said.
"The next month is pretty important for us to put ourselves in the best position going into the finals. As a group, we're collectively focused on fine-tuning our game going into September," Mullin added.
Teammate, and Coleman Medal leader Jeremy Cameron, and his pursuit of the elusive 100 goals in a season feat, have rightfully made headlines of late. 31 goals in the last six weeks have made the achievement genuinely plausible.
"I want to try and kick one before he kicks 100," O'Sullivan joked.
"He's obviously a great player, and we put a high priority on getting him involved in a game because he's such a good player, although it (100 goals) hasn't been spoken about internally.
"Pre-season was a pretty big eye-opener - playing on 'Jez' is pretty humbling. He gave me plenty of things that I still had to work on, but it helps me fine-tune my craft," he finished.
Geelong hosts Port Adelaide on Sunday afternoon, looking to secure yet another finals double chance under master coach, Chris Scott.
