2026 has been a vastly different looking season for inaugural Cat Georgie Rankin. 

Often the spark of energy on-field for Geelong with her bubbly personality, Rankin was confined to the sideline for the entire campaign after an unfortunate injury in the pre-season. 

A testament to her character, the injury did not limit Rankin's impact around the club and her influence on the playing group, transitioning into a new role off-field as a player-coach liaison.

Helping to bridge the gap between the coaching panel and the playing group, Rankin plays an important role on game day and is able to utilise her personality traits, assisting players in navigating the ebbs and flows of an AFLW season. 

The inaugural Cat sat down to discuss her role this year, as Geelong prepares to embark on their first Finals campaign in three years. 

"So I am currently doing a player-coach liaison role, which is very kind of Mick to create that role for me," Rankin said. 

"It just came about with my season getting drawn to a close. I had to spend a lot of time away from environments that might elevate my heart rate or my blood pressure.

"There was a lot of down time and at that point, I knew I couldn't give in a playing capacity, but I wanted to be able to give in terms of my energy and falling back on that passion for helping people learn, evolve and grow.

"Seeing them develop whichever part of the career they are sitting in, from first year players to those that are tapping into the little nuances of their game.

"It very quickly switched, then it was almost just keeping that in check and being a bit patient for a while, before I could come back and just give everything."

Rankin was recruited by the Cats ahead of their inaugural season in 2019, featuring in the club's first ever AFLW game against Collingwood at GMHBA Stadium. 

A relative of Teddy, Cliff, Doug and Bert Rankin, who all played for Geelong, Georgie continued a historic chapter in the family history as she became one of the Cats' most important players. 

Across eight seasons in the Hoops, Rankin played a total of 66 games to the end of 2025 but was also recognised for her work off-field, already a two-time winner of the Cats' AFLW Carter Family Community Champion Award. 

While an injury of that magnitude would provide plenty of setbacks for some, Rankin used it to further her personal development and has played a significant role in Geelong's remarkable 2026 season. 

"When we had the discussions around what I am passionate about and player development, I love learning more interpersonal skills," Rankin said. 

"How people communicate, how people learn, how they might receive messaging, all of that encapsulated was to go into a position where you can connect that players' thinking to the coaches thinking.

"On game day, I am on the players phone down on the bench. So getting messaging from the coaches that they want to send out to players.

"Similarly, if I am picking up something on the bench that I am seeing, whether it is through a player's body language or what I am hearing, then can give that message back up top and see if there's a way we can best support that player in how they are feeling, or how the game is unfolding for them."