The re-signing of Steven Motlop will be announced by Geelong next week as the Cats prepare for 2016, while Corey Enright's future has been decided, but not yet made public.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Geelong coach Chris Scott said on Friday that no player had the right to dictate the terms of their retirement. Steven Hocking, the club's football manager, said on Saturday that defender Enright, 34, had made up his mind about whether he would play in 2016 after the triple premiership player "wandered into" Hocking's office on Thursday and "confirmed what we all thought".
Hocking had suggested a week earlier that Motlop, 24, was a formality to re-sign for 2016, and on Saturday all but confirmed that an extension had been formally agreed upon, but that the club had not wanted to detract attention from the exits of premiership heroes Mathew Stokes, James Kelly and Steve Johnson, all of whom played their final games at Geelong on Saturday against finals-bound Adelaide at Simonds Stadium.
"As far as the next week goes, we'll have a whole series of announcements," Hocking told ABC radio.
"It's been important to give these three guys their time in the sun."
Elaborating on Enright's situation, Hocking said that the veteran knew how things stood.
"He's got a very clear understanding of what it looks like next year. He wandered into my office on Thursday and confirmed what we all thought."
Hocking said he was pleased with how things had panned out with Motlop given what loomed as an impasse earlier in the year.
"It's been a lot of work between manager and myself."
Hocking also explained why Jimmy Bartel would be kept on for another year, noting "the variation in roles that he can play" and his "solid form" since returning mid-season from a knee injury.
Discussing the club's calls on Johnson, Kelly and Stokes, Hocking said that unlike Sydney, Fremantle and Hawthorn, the Cats could not afford to keep a glut of players over 30 on their list, as they were "not vying for a premiership this year".
"I've heard from a lot of people that we need to be reconsidering some of the decisions. High ranking people, too."
He said the team needed to be one that belonged to the likes of Tom Hawkins and Joel Selwood. The likely impending raid on Patrick Dangerfield, Scott Selwood and Lachie Henderson will give the club considerable further depth in the middle-age bracket.
