As Tom Hawkins works through his rehab following off-season foot surgery, young key forward Shannon Neale is embracing the opportunity to get more experience alongside premiership forwards during the pre-season.

The 20-year-old is now in his third season, and will be looking to continue his development following an encouraging VFL season and two AFL appearances in 2022.

“Big ‘Scratcher’ has got a great opportunity at the moment with Tom Hawkins just working through his rehab,” Geelong Cats Head of Player Development Matthew Egan told Cats Media.

“He’s getting some experience with Jeremy Cameron and Gary Rohan and some of the bigger guys down there at being the main target, along with the big fellas.

“He’s come back from the pre-season in ripping shape, and into his third year now, he’s sort of free to go.

“(Neale’s) getting a lot of the training in. He’s an amazing athlete with his ability to play tall, and he’s developed his body so he is strong enough to play on anyone, but he can also get right up the ground and play a third, hybrid tall as well.”

The Cats’ younger crop of talent have been showing strong signs this pre-season as they look to earn their way into the senior side in 2023.

Egan lauded the efforts of second-year Cats Ollie Dempsey and Mitch Knevitt, who are “progressing really well” off the back of solid first seasons in the VFL, with both also making a couple of appearances at AFL level.

“Ollie had a really good first year at the club, getting exposure, pretty much played every (VFL) game and got some AFL experience which was awesome for him,” Egan said.

“He’s come back in really good shape (and is) probably one of our top five runners at the moment. He’s worked really hard on his running ability over the break.

“He’s played most of his footy (across) half-forward, but because his running ability is so strong, we’re trying to put him up on the wing a little bit more, and let him use his weapon, which is getting right up the ground and trying to beat his opponent both ways.”

Knevitt is another whose strong running ability has seen him add another position to his repertoire, with the inside midfielder getting more exposure on the wing in the second half of the 2022 VFL season and into pre-season.

“Very similar to Ollie (in that he) played pretty much every game in the VFL,” Egan said.

“(Knevitt) has barely missed a training session. We’ve got to drag him off the track all the time – he’s always looking to do extras. (He’s) a really diligent worker.

“Similar to Ollie, he’s played a couple of positions, so started off more inside (mid), but now he’s progressing because he’s such a good runner, and he’s improved over the pre-season.

“He’s getting some wing exposure as well, and second half of the year in the VFL he played a fair bit on the wing as well.”

Egan gave an update of the Cameron Ling Academy – which consists of first-to-fourth year players – including how the Cats’ newest draftees are settling in.

“It’s a good group this year, there’s obviously a few local boys, so they know each other well, and I guess we’ve seen a fair bit of them,” he said.

“Jhye Clark is progressing really well, he’s getting some inside experience against some pretty quality, experienced AFL players. Also, he’s played a little bit half-back in some of the drills we’ve done, which has been good fun for him.

“They’re all getting different exposure at different positions; we’re pretty relaxed. At this stage of the year, they get some flexibility. So, someone like Ted Clohesy is getting some wing exposure, some inside experience and also a little bit half-forward. Osca Riccardi’s playing a little bit half-back, a little bit wing.”

The Cats’ 2023 campaign kicks off against Collingwood on March 17. Be One in Hoops and sign up for a 2023 Geelong Cats membership today.