Geelong veteran Cameron Guthrie is firing on all cylinders ahead of the 2025 season, as he continues to progress from issues with his body and return to the favour of the Cats' selection panel.
Guthrie's 2023 was wiped with a niggling toe injury, before a severe quad injury in 2024's practice match against Carlton ruled the veteran out for another extended stint. Guthrie returned to fitness late in the year but was stiffly left out of the side, playing two VFL matches instead.
His brother, Zach, believes that Cam has worked tirelessly on getting his body right through the off-season and Christmas break and will reap the rewards when matches resume shortly.
"(Cam's) going well, I've been able to get a number of sessions in the Christmas period and through the off-season as well," Guthrie said.
"He's progressing well and I'm sure he's really looking forward to bouncing back off what's been a frustrating couple of years.
"More than anything I'm looking forward to having him out there and playing some footy with him again.
"It's probably frustrating when you can't get on the field and play games... he's been really positive throughout it all and really hoping that some of the things that have affected his body in the last few years can be put behind him and he can get back to some really good form."
Guthrie also spoke on his close bond formed with late selection from 2023's National Draft Lawson Humphries, as the 21-year-old aims to back up a strong finish to 2024.
Humphries took the AFL world by storm with his remarkable ambidextrous ability, with even teammates unsure of which was his preferred kicking boot. Taken at Pick 63, Humphries highlighted the expert drafting of Geelong, who have a knack for plucking mature-aged talents late in the draft and moulding them into stars.
"I get along really well with Laws (Humphries). He's obviously fitted into the (AFL) level really well at the backend of last year and showcased some of his strengths," Guthrie said.
"His composure's at a really high level. I think that's the great thing about him that he has a really good idea of the strengths that he can bring and he does a really good job at showcasing them.
"I've really enjoyed working closely with him and he's someone I'll continue to learn off myself. Some of the things he did last year I admired, so looking forward to continuing that bond with him."
Guthrie also noted that new recruits Bailey Smith and Jack Martin have slotted right into the club culture, but admits he's unsure of their positions ahead of 2025.
Smith's distaste for moving out of the midfield at the Bulldogs has been widely discussed, with his move to Geelong suggesting an increase in midfield minutes at Kardinia Park, with the Cats aiming to replenish their midfield stocks after the retirement of Joel Selwood and as Patrick Dangerfield heads into his twilight years.
"Smith and Martin have both fit in really well. They've both showcased why they are really good players early on in the pre-season, they've been able to showcase some of the things that they're gonna bring this year," Guthrie said.
"That will just continue to grow as we get more into that match-specific stuff, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what both of those guys can do across the year.
"I'm not too sure exactly where (Smith) will fit. I think when you are a player like Bailey and you've got a number of strengths you can bring to the game I think flexibility is something that we can utilise.
"I'm sure he will play a number of different positions for us and do it at a really high level for us so I'm looking forward to seeing how that evolves and I think when you have the strengths that someone like him has, it'll be a real weapon for us.
"...I think that's probably something a little bit more the coaches to work out and work with him on, but I think we've seen with a number of guys it can sort of evolve across the pre-season, it can evolve once the games come around as well.
"We're not exactly sure how it'll look just yet but I'm sure it'll be something we'll continue to change, we'll continue to tinker with to try get the best makeup across the whole team."
Falling just ten points shy of a second grand final in three seasons, Guthrie is confident that the Cats will be around the mark again in 2025.
"I like to hope we'll give a good crack at it again. Every year sort of presents something different and you probably don't know until you start getting into the early rounds of the season, but I'm really confident we've got the list again to compete," Guthrie said.
"We've got a number of guys who've been performing really well at training and star players of the league.
"I'm really confident we're gonna look to start the season well and keep building from there."
Geelong will head to Brisbane to play in the opening game of the season against Brisbane in Opening Round, in what will be a tense rematch from one of the AFL's all-time classic preliminary final clashes.
