With decisions on their futures looming large, Geelong veterans James Kelly and Andrew Mackie have both said they want to stay at the Cats in 2016, with Kelly opening up about comparing himself with his fellow senior players.
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Ruckman Hamish McIntosh's retirement last week has left seven men at Geelong over the age of 30 whose football futures remain uncertain. Kelly and Mackie are joined by Jared Rivers, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Mathew Stokes and Steve Johnson in being out of contract at season's end. Tom Lonergan is 31, but has a contract for 2016.
Kelly and Mackie confirmed on Sunday their desire to play on at Simonds Stadium.
"From my point of view I feel I can keep going," Kelly told Channel Nine.
Mackie echoed those sentiments.
"Yeah look I enjoy my footy and love the footy club, everything to do with it," Mackie said on Channel Seven.
"I do love playing."
Kelly, 31, had 21 disposals in the Cats' 56-point win over the Brisbane Lions on Saturday, but conceded that his form would not be the sole factor Geelong would take into account, suggesting that a decision would be made "from a long way out".
"At the end of the day the club has to make a decision that's best for the club," Kelly said.
"I love the club, and I can't get angry at the club for making a decision that they think's best for the club.
"Whatever happens I'll walk out a happy man."
The midfielder claimed he didn't have an inkling about whether he would be retained, providing an insight into his mindset, and detailing what he believed were inevitable comparisons he made with the other senior Cats, who he thought were playing well as a collective. "I think you'd be lying if you said it wasn't like that. You naturally think about yourself, and football clubs there's always comparisons."
"I think the thing that held us in good stead in earlier years is we're a really proud group.
"Ego comes into it a bit, if this is going to be the end of our careers, or whenever that happens, you want to be playing really well.
"Go out the right way if that's the case."
Kelly said he had been put "on edge". "It sort of takes you back to your first couple of years where you're really trying to prove yourself."
He added that he would only contemplate moving to another club once he knew whether he would be kept by Geelong.
Cats coach Scott conceded in his after-match press conference on Saturday that Stokes - who has been relegated to the VFL in recent weeks - was still better than some players currently in the Geelong team, but that others were being favoured due to their relative youth.
Kelly thought that Stokes was unlucky, paying a steep price after being substituted out of the round 15 games against North Melbourne. "[He] had a bad game at a bad time."
Another player who remains out of contract is Steven Motlop, with the explosive midfielder and forward in the sights of rival clubs. Motlop, 24, has overcome a slow start to the year, and starred in Saturday's victory with 29 touches and a goal.
Kelly said Geelong didn't want to lose Motlop, but quipped that he had "probably pumped up his value outside of the footy club". "He's doing what all players should do in those situations, which is just worry about playing good footy."
