Geelong coach Chris Scott has declared premiership veterans Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy will “100 per cent” play on in 2024.
After the Cats’ season officially ended without a finals appearance for the first time since 2015, Scott was bullish about the perennial powerhouse’s prospects next year.
And he has guaranteed Hawkins and Tuohy, crucial members of last year’s premiership, to be there.
“100 per cent confident,” Scott replied when asked about Hawkins’ future.
“Zach and Tom will both play on.”
Hawkins and Tuohy, along with seven other premiership players on the list, missed Geelong’s final-round defeat to the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.
The Cats opted to use a rare dead-rubber to book several players in for surgery as they attempt to rebound from being the fourth reigning premier in the last 15 years to miss the finals the following year.
Hawkins, 35, re-injured his hamstring against St Kilda last week, bringing an end to his 17th AFL season.
But the hulking key forward is eager to extend his 347-game, 781-goal career that started in 2007.
“I expect to be playing, really eager to … really keen and excited mentally to play on,” Hawkins told the Seven Network on Saturday night.
“Like most of my contracts, a mere formality.”
Geelong bounced back to make a preliminary final year after their most recent season without playing finals.
Even with four-time premiership hero Isaac Smith retiring, a year after legendary captain Joel Selwood called it quits, Scott believes the Cats can hit back in 2024.
“The chance to see what (ruckman) Toby Conway might be sort of overwhelmed, and rightly so, the sense of disappointment that we all know we have,” he said.
“At least for one night, we’re able to push that to the side.
“I’m not going to wake up feeling great, I’ll be honest, but it won’t be a situation, I don’t think, we’re sitting there thinking this is a desperate situation, we don’t know the way forward.
“We’re respectful of how close the competition is but optimistic we can be a big part of it.”
