Jack Martin. Bailey Smith. Clayton Oliver?
Geelong's impressive run of securing elite talent is bound to happen once again as the club continues to defy the rebuilding myths.
For many years, the Cats have created a fortress down the highway that has seen rival sides miss out on star players who opt to head to Kardinia Park.
In lewd list management, Chris Scott and his accompanying football department have ruled the trade and free agency space since 2011, whilst before that, Mark 'Bomber' Thompson led the charge.
Admittedly, the sell of a country coastal town, outside the Melbourne bubble but still within a football state has a definite appeal.
The offering of state-of-the-art facilities and a coaching group that has been largely, if not the most, successful club since the turn of the century, is also a seductive factor.
The Geelong story has been well documented throughout each season as the club continues to land some of the biggest fish floating around the pond.
Patrick Dangerfield (along with Lachie Henderson) in 2015; Zach Tuohy the following season whilst landing Tom Stewart, Zach Guthrie and Jack Henry in the draft; Tim Kelly in 2017, whose move to West Coast prompted multiple first-round picks to secure GWS' Jeremy Cameron shortly after.
Joining Cameron ahead of 2021 was Isaac Smith as an unrestricted free agent, and we all know what he did on grand final day two years ago.
Then there was Tyson Stengle, who was discarded by both Richmond and Adelaide to become a premiership player and All-Australian to largely overcome his off-field issues, of which have been dealt with extraordinarily by the club.
Then, the trio of Tanner Bruhn (GWS), Jack Bowes (Gold Coast) and Oliver Henry (Collingwood) came in 2022 after their premiership win and cost the Cats very little.
And now Carlton's Jack Martin and Western Bulldogs ace Bailey Smith are expected to be seen in blue and white hoops next year, with Melbourne's Clayton Oliver wanting to follow.
So how do they do it?
The coach of an AFL football club is the figurehead who lives and dies by the success of the team, hence why we've seen Chris Scott around for so long.
Formed under legendary coach Leigh Matthews, Scott knows what success looks like due to his time playing at Brisbane, and it didn't take him long to return to the top of the mountain in the coach's box.
Despite inheriting arguably the greatest team of the modern era in 2011, the two-time premiership coach has flipped the club's list around, with only Mitch Duncan now remaining from his maiden season.
Missing finals on only two occasions, Scott's walking proof of his strategic prowess and tactical nous to not only remain dominant in the present but always have a keen eye on what the future might hold.
That is reflected by his hands-on approach to list management, which he declared on the eve of the finals as an "exciting" prospect.
The Cats have largely been successful in their sales pitches to rival players, with Port Adelaide's Travis Boak one of the few who have turned down their advances.
Unlike GWS or Sydney, who are littered with stars and household names across all lines, the Cats thrive on being relatively under the radar.
That might have something to do with their location but also the amount of A-grade players they have on their list.
And that's not to say they aren't stars in their own right, but like the Oakland A's, referenced in the movie Moneyball, every Geelong player has their role.
The Cats have persevered through the modern game on a no-fuss model, formulating strategies and tactics that revolve around maximising their players' talents and skillset.
At times throughout 2024, Patrick Dangerfield missed through injury, Jeremy Cameron was down on form, and Tom Stewart was thrust into the midfield to break the week-to-week tag. And yet, the club made a preliminary final with no fuss.
Internally, Scott and his cohort value footballers who are willing to fit inside the club's jigsaw puzzle, being one cog in the machine that is Geelong.
Lawson Humphries' defence efforts would be equally recognised as Cameron's hauls of goals.
Shaun Mannagh's subsequent plucking from VFL to AFL proves to be a masterstroke that the Cats have followed in the likes of James Podsiadly, Tom Atkins, Darcy Fort, Humphries and Stewart.
And that's not even considering the absolute diamonds in the rough found in the depths of the draft or alternative avenues, such as Mark Blicavs, Oliver Dempsey, Brad Close and Gryan Miers.
In the modern day, we see clubs pay overs for players to wrench them out, offering large bags of cash and long-term deals.
Geelong don't do that.
Through a team-first model that has countless examples, including former captain Joel Selwood, players offer their piece of the pay to ensure the club has a list that will contend.
Selwood slashed six figures off the final year of his contract - which resulted in a premiership - to assist the Cats in acquiring Cameron from the Giants, who deservedly, would come with a hefty price tag.
Retiring star Tom Hawkins followed suit, lowering his yearly wage to that of under the AFL average.
And it's exactly why Geelong's incredible run of success has continued to defy the natural laws of the game.
The Cats have just one player in the top 80 of this year's rich list, with Jeremy Cameron's earnings of about $1m the outlier down the highway.
Former list boss and recruiting manager Stephen Wells devised - what should be considered as the blueprint for success - a structure where players get rewarded, but as they age, the money drops.
Those at Geelong refer to it as a bell curve, where the majority of players sit in the middle bracket of earners, and very few rise to the serious dollars.
Career earnings follow the same pattern, where a player earns what they deserve at their peak and then the money fades as they age.
Comparatively, Melbourne holds the equal most players (8) in the AFL's Top 100 Highest Paid players, and when the likes of Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Steven May were absent, the club failed.
The almost absolute inclusion of Jack Martin and Bailey Smith will ultimately make Geelong a better side that is searching for flag number 11.
Of the seven who weren't offered contracts in 2025, only Gary Rohan and Brandan Parfitt were regular faces, whilst the rest toiled in the VFL but failed to make a meaningful impact.
However, it is a sign of good business that the club is willing to make the tough calls to remain in premiership contention, seemingly unlike the rest of the competition.
Rival clubs have marvelled at Geelong for their sustained success over the past two decades, and given the aforementioned reasons why, it's no surprise.