Geelong recruiter Stephen Wells is confident the Cats' 2025 National Draft was a resounding success, with their selections to pay dividends in the long-term after the club selected two project players with Pick 24 and Pick 33 over the two nights.
Their first-round selection of Harley Barker looms as one of the steals of the draft, should he get his body right, with the quick bursting winger considered to have the talent of a top 10 selection until an ACL rupture ended his draft year campaign early.
Meanwhile, Geelong have also united brothers Max and Hunter Holmes with the selection of the Melbourne Grammar standout in the second round, bringing in more speed to Geelong's already rapid engine room.
Speaking to media on Thursday night, Wells was quick to point out that Hunter being related to the superstar Max Holmes had little to do with his selection, but admitted the Cats did gain greater insight into his off-field characteristics through Max.
"We've picked Hunter the footballer [not the brother]. We think he's earned an opportunity," Wells said.
"He's a young man who is very determined and brings in some athletic traits. He was good enough to get a game for Vic Metro this year and play well.
"He really developed over the course of the year. The fact he is Max's brother is a bonus and I know Max and the whole family are excited about Hunter joining him, but we're excited about Hunter the footballer."
Holmes earned a spot on the Oakleigh Chargers list ahead of his draft year before impressing at Coates Talent League level and for Vic Metro, leaving a damaging impact with his speed and clean hands in the heat of the contest.
His 2.895-second 20m sprint time, which ranked as the third-fastest time recorded at the Draft Combine this year, is just shy of his brother's 2.80-second time recorded in 2020. It's just one of the many similarities Wells sees between the two players.
"There's definite similarities. They're both very coachable, very willing to do what they can to help the team," Wells said.
"Hunter brings in athletic traits and has so much scope for development that Max showed at the same time.
"Hunter does very well as an inside midfielder, his hands are very clean in the contest and he's a brilliant handballer in tight, but he's also got those athletic capabilities to be able to get out and play on the wing or halfback. He's a genuine inside outside mid prospect."
Harley Barker also presents as a winger with an incredibly high ceiling that could be utilised in Chris Scott's system down the line, offering pace, precision and an unmatched work rate up the flank of the field in his fixtures for South Australia.
Had he not suffered a mid-year ACL injury, which means Barker will miss much of 2026, it's likely he would have contended for a top 10 selection, highlighting the potential he could reach at Kardinia Park once he returns to full health.
Wells conceded that Geelong took the knee injury into consideration, but couldn't look past the exciting proposition of Barker working with the Cats' running mix beyond next year.
"Harley Barker's knee injury was definitely a consideration," Wells said.
"We did a lot of research on it and we've got great confidence in our sports science and medical team to deal with injuries in young players.
"Ideally Harley wouldnt have had a knee injury in his 18th year but I think if he hadn't, he wouldn't have got through to us in the draft. It was a calculated risk, and time will tell how that plays out, but we're not expecting to see him play much footy in 2026.
"He'll be in good hands at our club."
Wells spoke pre-draft about Geelong's intentions to prioritise fit over talent, and believes the selections of Barker and Holmes have achieved that goal.
"We really rated this draft and thought there were going to be a lot of good players in it and as it's turned out, we've been able to add to our stocks of young developing talent our coaches can work with," Wells said.
"We think they've both got a long way to go with their footy, whether it be Harley Barker's knee injury that he's recovering from or Hunter Holmes, who has only been in the system for a year and hasn't had much experience.
"When we came in, we wanted to find the best fit for us and our list... players who fit into our game style, whatever position it was.
"Those two players we've drafted have both shown the athletic qualities and football skills that many of our players are already showing, so it adds to that."
Geelong have three selections in Friday's Rookie Draft, which gets underway at 3:20pm (AEDT), and have committed to redrafting delisted pair George Stevens and Keighton Matofai-Forbes with two of those picks.
