Second-year Geelong defender Connor O'Sullivan has been backed to be a piece of Chris Scott's plans for the season ahead as he looks to add to his debut game from last year.
O'Sullivan - who was defeated by the Cats at 11th overall in 2023 - made his maiden senior appearance in the hoops in a win against North Melbourne in Round 5 last year, with the teenager recording 11 disposals, six contested possessions and three marks in defence.
O'Sullivan spent the rest of his rookie year in the VFL, tallying 18 games in the state league where he put forward strong form.
The developing backman will be eyeing a larger role under Scott in his coming campaign, with fellow 2023 draftee Lawson Humphries backing O'Sullivan to be "a good player for us" in the near future.
"He's a beautiful athlete, he's a gun," Humphries said of the Albury product.
"He lives for the pre-season, is built unbelievably and is going to be a good player for us. He's really exciting and has such good voice.
"I loved playing with him last year in the VFL because he always instilled me with a lot of confidence, being up the ground and directing me from behind. Hopefully he can just keep doing that.
"I'm sure he'll play AFL this year if he just plays his role. He's a good person to have around the club.
"Either way, he's going to have a good year, whether that's AFL or VFL."
Humphries - who has been selected for the Indigenous All Stars - broke through for 11 AFL games in his first year at Kardinia Park despite being taken 52 spots after O'Sullivan in the draft.
The Swan Districts junior didn't come out of the Cats' side after making his debut in Round 16, going on to feature in both of Geelong's finals appearances.
He would earn a Rising Star nomination in his third game with a 23-disposal outing against Collingwood, with Humphries breaking the 20-touch mark on four occasions as he found an attacking role at half-back.
For Humphries, 2025 will be a year he continues to place a focus on the strengths of his game, knowing players can "get caught up in trying to fix all of your weaknesses".
"Each year you're just trying to get better," he said.
"Hopefully I'm just a little bit stronger and fitter. I'll just keep working on different parts of my game. The big one is that I know my strengths and I should keep trying to play that. You can get caught up in trying to fix all of your weaknesses.
"I'm looking forward to a big year and hopefully going one week better.
"I want to play every week, everybody does. After that 11 games I played, I'm confident I can play most weeks. And if not, I'll go back to the VFL and do what I need to do."
Geelong's pre-season will see the Cats face Hawthorn and Essendon before an Opening Round clash against reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday, March 6.
Humphries is likely to suit up for the All Stars' game against Fremantle on February 15 instead of Geelong's upcoming practice match against the Hawks.
