While there have been plenty of young stars emerging on the big stage for Geelong over the past few years, there is an entire new generation of players waiting in the wings to make their impact at the top level. 

It has been a feature of the Cats' program for a long period of time, opting to take a more patient approach in the development of their latest recruits, a notion that Gryan Miers is all too familiar with. 

After joining the club in the 2017 National Draft, Miers went on to play 20 games at VFL level during his first season with Geelong, not earning an AFL debut until the opening round of his second season. 

From there it has been an incredible success story, with the crafty Cat featuring in 155 AFL games over the last seven seasons and quickly developing into one of the game's most damaging players. 

With a number of players that took a variety of different routes into Geelong's starting line-up, Miers believes the slow build up helps to prepare players for the rigours of AFL football. 

"It is such a crucial part of what the Geelong Football Club is about, is that it is a full development process and not one size fits all," Miers said. 

"We have Tom Atkins and Shaun Mannagh who came in and dominated their first year, but then there is Connor O'Sullivan, Sam De Koning, Shannon Neale, myself, Jack Henry and the list goes on, where we are all on different timetables.

"We have all come in and contributed at our own pace, and I think that is something that the young boys can lean on.

"It might not be your first week or your first month, but if you do the right things and you listen to the right people, your time will come."

Geelong's playing group is back on the track for the pre-season, looking to put together a strong block of training in preparation for their 2026 campaign. 

There has been plenty of coverage of the Cats new recruits, with free-agency signing James Worpel pulling on the blue and white for the first time alongside new draftees Harley Barker, Hunter Holmes, Nick Driscoll and Jesse Mellor.

While there have been plenty of standouts early in the pre-season, Miers was particularly keen to see how Geelong's 2024 draft crop progresses in their second season with the Cats.

"The first day I think you saw, it was windy and disgusting so there wasn't too many kicking well," Miers said. 

"But Ollie Dempsey has come back running really well, Mitch Knevitt also. Some of the younger faces that I just can't wait to see how they blossom.

"I talked about it last year, our first year players aren't like our first years. Our first years are actually our second year players, so how they now come on this year and take their career to the next level.

"Jay Polkinghorne, Jacob Molier and how that crew now puts their career on the map."

Miers enjoyed another tremendous season in 2025, continuing to solidify his standing as one of the most important players on Geelong's list. 

Averaging career-highs in disposals (22.25 per game), marks (5.67) and intercept possessions (2.6), Miers remained lethal by foot going at 75% disposal efficiency across the season (another career-high), while still maintaining an average of seven score involvements per game. 

While his versatility has been recognised previously along with his incredible work rate up and down the ground, the 26-year-old was also presented with a new challenge in 2025 as he spent time through the midfield and lined up at centre stoppages. 

It is what Miers believes has helped to continue his progression year after year, able to be flexible and challenging himself to take on new roles as required by the team. 

"Change, and I think the help of my teammates," Miers responded in regards to the contributing factors to his development.

"The help of the coaches, putting me in new roles and seeing the way I have adapted, then my role changing over time. A bit of midfield time at the end of last year, because I think that is what the team needed at the time.

"Then this year we have added James Worpel, so maybe that will push me back to half forward, maybe out to a wing, maybe I will stay there, I don't know.

"But that is the exciting part, is that I think I am adaptable and can play in any of those positions to contribute.

"Then I don't rely on one thing and my team doesn't rely on one thing, so I am very pleased that's how my career has gone. I am not stuck in one position or stuck in one role."