Smith firing ahead of Cats’ match simulation against Hawks

THE word is Geelong star recruit Bailey Smith is tearing up the track, and Cats fans will have the chance to see him in the hoops in less than a week.

The Cats’ first match simulation of the 2025 AFL season will be against Hawthorn at GMHBA Stadium at 2pm on Monday, February 17.

Geelong defender Oisin Mullin said Smith had been a great addition to the club since switching from the Western Bulldogs.

“Bailey has been up there, in terms of pre-season performers,” Mullin said. “Clearly he is a big personality, he has settled in really well, off the field and on it.”

Season 2025 presents as a changing of the guard for the Cats, who will be without retired veterans Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy as well as seasoned campaigners Brandan Parfitt and Gary Rohan.

Draftees Jay Polkinghorne, Jacob Molier, Lennox Hofmann and Keighton Matofai-Forbes are among the new faces that may get a run in the pre-season fixtures.

Midfielder Mitch Knevitt, a Grovedale product who was selected at pick 25 in the 2021 draft, is also one to watch, according to Mullin and fellow defender Jed Bews.

The rules and duration of club-arranged match simulations are up to the discretion of the clubs.

The Cats also have an AAMI Community Series pre-season match against Essendon, which is scheduled to be held at GMHBA Stadium on February 25 at 7.10pm.

Tickets are on sale now, with members and children entering for free.

The Cats’ first game of the AFL premiership season will be against Brisbane at the Gabba on March 6.

BY BRIAN ALLEN