It had been a slow start to the 2025 season for young Cat, Mitch Edwards but he is now primed and ready to attack the back half of the season after returning to action on Saturday afternoon.

Geelong opted to take a conservative approach with the emerging ruckman this year, patiently developing Edwards before rolling him out on the weekend in the VFL Cats clash with Brisbane. 

Entering the game midway through the third quarter, Edwards won 10 hit-outs and laid three tackles while showing plenty of promising signs for Geelong supporters to get excited about. 

Edwards told Cats Media that it was great to be back out on the park, setting himself up for a strong back half of the season. 

"It felt really good to be back out there," Edwards said. 

"Obviously it was disappointing not getting the win, but it will be good to head into the bye and reset a bit. It was really good to be back out there."

Drafted out of Western Australia in 2023, Edwards persisted through an injury-interrupted first season at Geelong and made three VFL appearances late in 2024. 

A strong pre-season put the emerging ruckman firmly in the window as one to watch in 2025, before facing a delayed start to his campaign which kept him on the sidelines until Round 13 of the VFL season. 

Despite playing restricted minutes, the game was ultimately a valuable learning experience for Edwards as he went toe to toe with veteran Lions ruckman, Oscar McInerney.  

"Coming in during the second half was really good, against a great ruckman in Oscar McInerney," Edwards said. 

"A lot of time has been put into my strength, putting on weight and really working on the areas that I have hurt previously. I am just looking to find development in those sort of areas."

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 06: Mitchell Edwards of the Cats in action during a Geelong Cats training session at Deakin University on December 06, 2024 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos)

The VFL Cats fell short in their clash with Brisbane despite leading for large portions of the game, the defeat leaving them in 15th on the ladder and six points out of the top 10 with six games left in the season. 

Edwards said his goal is to put together a strong stretch of games in the back half of the season, with an aim of helping Geelong return to Finals for the second straight season. 

"Moving forward it is about keeping my body available, just getting ready to go and putting my best foot forward to help these boys get wins and try to play Finals," the young ruckman told Cats Media. 

The VFL Cats will also enjoy a bye this week to rest and recover, before looking to attack the back half of the season starting with an important clash against Richmond at GMHBA Stadium.