Wells on Geelong's two selections

Over the course of the two nights, we came in with a definite plan.

We really rated this draft, we thought there were going to be a lot of good players in it and as it has turned out, we have been able to add to our stocks of good young developing talent that our coaches can work with.

We think they have got a long way to go with their footy, whether it be because of Harley's knee injury that he is recovering from, or Hunter Holmes who has only been in the system for a year and hasn't had much experience.

We are excited to get those two players, after considering a lot of other players when it came to our pick. 

Wells on Hunter Holmes

Can I say right from the start, we have picked Hunter the footballer.

We think he has really earned an opportunity, he is a young man who is very determined but has some brilliant athletic traits of course. Was good enough to get a game for Vic Metro this year and play well, he really developed over the course of the year.

The fact that he is Max's brother is a bit of a bonus, and I know Max and the whole family will be very, very excited about Hunter joining him.

But we are very excited about Hunter, the footballer. 

Wells on Harley Barker

Harley Barker's knee injury was definitely a consideration.

We did a lot of research on it, we have got great confidence in our sports science and medical team to deal with injuries in young players.

Ideally, Harley wouldn't have had a knee injury in his 18's year but I think if he hadn't, I would be confident that Harley may not have got through to us in the draft. It was a calculated risk, time will tell how that plays out.

We are not expecting to see Harley play much footy in 2026 but again, he may well be a quick healer and he will be in good hands at our place. 

Wells on the similarities between Hunter and Max Holmes

Some similarities, but I have seen Hunter play a bit more than Max. Max was in a Covid year and hardly played at all.

There are definite similarities, they are both very coachable, very willing to do what they can to help the team.

Of course, brilliant athletic traits and I think Hunter has got so much scope for development there, which probably Max showed at the same time.

If he comes along like Max did, we will be very happy.