First it was Tobyn Murray.
Then Kye Annand.
Geelong VFL's Jamieson Ballantyne will be hoping to follow that pair onto an AFL list after a standout season for the grand finalists.
The 23-year-old kicked four goals in the preliminary final victory over Port Melbourne, adding to a catalogue of strong performances in a year he has 38 majors to his name.
"He's dynamic. He's hard to play on because he's not your genuine third tall size, but he can mark the ball in the air because of his hops. He's an elite runner," Mark Corrigan told Zero Hanger of Ballantyne.
The Portland native received mild draft interest in his top-aged year of 2021, but the GWV Rebels graduate was ultimately undrafted.
After playing four games for Footscray in 2023, he transferred to Geelong ahead of 2024, playing four more VFL games that season in between strong local footy.
Ballantye played 10 VFL games last year before establishing himself as a mainstay of the team in 2026 as a critical front-half threat for a young attacking group.
"What he does for us is compete aerially, and he's a hard matchup," Corrigan said.
"He's been enormous for us as an avenue for goal. He's super competitive and has a blend of being able to mark in the air and get after it at ground level, which makes him hard to play against."
The Cats take on Box Hill in the VFL Grand Final on Sunday at Ikon Park.
