Geelong's Ollie Dempsey said the club's recruitment and list management teams should be given applause for their ability to rejuvenate on the run.
The Cats have long been lauded for their unrivalled ability to lure big-name players for surrounding clubs whilst always contending for the flag.
In the past five years, they've landed Bailey Smith, Jack Bowes, Oliver Henry, Tanner Bruhn and Jeremy Cameron from rival clubs.
And that's not mentioning the uncanny ability to find a needle in a haystack: Lawson Humphries. (Pick 63), Shaun Mannagh (Werribee VFL - Pick 36), Tyson Stengle (delisted from Adelaide and Richmond) and Dempsey himself, who was taken in the rookie draft.
The departures of club greats Tom Hawkins and Joel Selwood in recent years, as well as Isaac Smith, Gary Rohan, Zach Tuohy, Shaun Higgins and Luke Dahlhaus, saw a huge void that needed to be filled.
"Looking back, a couple of years ago, a lot of people, outside noise โฆ were thinking we were older and we were," Dempsey said.
"Credit to our recruiting and list management team for rejuvenating the list and having a lot of young players come in.
"It's really exciting with the next wave that we have going on.
"We were a pretty young team on the weekend โฆ there was a lot more youth coming through."
Geelong was an at average age of 26 against Fremantle in Round 1, boasting a strong mix of youth and experience which led to the 78-point victory.
Dempsey enters 2025 in the final year of his current contract but declared he wasn't concerned about where those talks sat.
"I'm not too stressed about any of that, I love being at Geelong," Dempsey said.
"This is where I'll be and it'll work itself in the coming weeks or months."
The Cats will look to continue their unbeaten start against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium in Round 2.
