Mackie on the positives from Monday's match simulation

With the list we took in today, we were able to get some games into our young developing guys, which is really positive.

There are some guys that haven't been on the list too long, that were able to get some game time against some quality opposition.

Then some positional shifts that we looked at and as much as anything, I think it was a really good lead into a humid game potentially in a couple of weeks up on the Gold Coast for Opening Round.

From a strength and conditioning point of view, it was really positive. Overall driving home, it is a box ticked as far as what we wanted to get out of the game. 

Mackie on Geelong's young playing group

We are confident that the guys in the Origin had a really good hit-out, Scotty popped in today and those guys are all brimming with excitement off the back of that game.

A few others we will need to make sure we do get right over the next two and a half weeks, with the management of them.

Would have loved to have played a few of them but as I said before, what it does do is give an opportunity to some younger guys, which it might be hard to do if those other experienced guys were playing.

Jay Polkinghorne pops up and kicks a few goals, shows what he can do. Lenny Hofmann gets an opportunity in the back half and shows some good signs, a couple of young rucks that we will need from a list point of view to keep developing.

Mackie on what Geelong's style will look like in 2026

I would say there will be a variation.

What we try and do, and this is Chris' philosophy as much as anyone, we just try and maximise our game plan off the back of the individuals that we have. It is not just the top three or four individuals, we look at what the back half of our team can do and how do we try to get the best out of them.

But more importantly, we look at how that connects within the team. I have seen over the years that what we might think we are going to go in playing right now, might look a lot different in five weeks time.

We do shift with the game and what it gives, there are new rules obviously, the opposition and what they are giving us, how we can exploit certain things.

What I will say is that we have a playing list that adapts really well to coaching generally, we have got versatility within our list that enables us to get creative with what we can do. I am looking forward to where that takes us. 

Mackie on Jeremy Cameron

We pulled him out of Origin, he just hadn't done enough with the arm.

With players at this time of year, you often do the non-combative or non-contact training and 'Jezza' had that since pretty much the start of the pre-season.

He was running a bit short to be right for Origin, but that was on the Friday and then the Monday he pulled up a bit sore in his quad after a massive session.

We are confident enough that he will play in the Gold Coast game, it is just whether he can get some game time in nine days time against Carlton.