Cats pair secure extensions

ONE of Geelong’s premiership sons will stay on an additional two years, inking a contract extension that will keep him in the hoops until at least 2025.

Premiership forward Brad Close will remain in Geelong for the next pair of seasons after the contract extension was announced over the weekend.

Geelong’s head of list management Andrew Mackie said Close was a valuable asset to the team’s system, a great teammate and is expected to continue his improvement in further years.

“Brad has put in the hard work throughout his career, he is a great all-round player who is crucial to our forward mix and also brings a great defensive mindset to his game,” Mackie said.

Alongside Close, youngster Ollie Dempsey also secured a two-year extension as part of the announcement, fresh off an impressive performance in his season debut against Adelaide last Saturday.

“It was great to see Ollie come into the senior side on the weekend, he has great skills for a player who came to footy late, he has the versatility to play in a number of positions and continues to show great ability,” Mackie said.

“We are thrilled to have both Brad and Ollie recommit for two years and look forward to them continuing to evolve and develop as players.”

The Cats take on Richmond tomorrow night (Friday, May 12) in a Friday night blockbuster at the MCG.