Unsung forward becomes ‘fundamental part’ of the Cats

IT IS HARD to stand out when you share a forward 50 with All-Australians Jeremy Cameron, Patrick Dangerfield and Tyson Stengle.

But it’s becoming equally hard for AFL fans to miss the form of Geelong forward Shaun Mannagh.

“He hasn’t slid under the radar for us, but we see him every week,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said after Mannagh had 24 disposals, 11 tackles and three goals in the Cats’ win over St Kilda on Sunday.

“He’s a fundamental part of the way we play, which is saying something because he hasn’t been on our list for that long. He’s become important quickly.”

Mannagh was drafted as a 26-year-old in 2023 after a string of VFL performances with Werribee that were too good for recruiters to ignore.

Six goals from 28 disposals as best afield in the VFL grand final showcased his potential. The Cats snapped him up with pick 36 two months later.

“Last year, being my first year, was about learning the way we want to play and being that ‘Geelong footballer’,” Mannagh said.

Mannagh learnt quickly.

After an early taste at AFL level last season, he went to work in the VFL. By round 17 he was back in the senior team, winning 20 possessions and laying 14 tackles.

“Looking back on it, he should’ve come in for Round 1 and just stayed in,” Scott said last year.

Mannagh has averaged 18 disposals, four tackles and 1.3 goals per game in 2025, becoming a key cog in a Cats outfit desperate to peak in September.

“It’s all about timing your run nicely,” Mannagh said.

“We did that last year and got a game away from a grand final. Finals is still a long way away and we’ve got a lot to work on over the next five weeks.

“We spoke last week that we probably lost our edge a little bit. Obviously Scotty and the coaches have been here a long time, and we’ve got a lot of premiership players who know how to get there.”

The Cats will fine-tune their game against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium tomorrow (Saturday, July 26), before finishing the season with matches against Port Adelaide, Essendon, Sydney and Richmond.

If the Cats can defend well in the front half, Mannagh is confident the goals will continue to come.

“There’s a group mentality – we want to make sure our defence is tight,” Mannagh said.

“We’ve got to have a defensive mindset and then do good things off the back of that. Having Jez (Jeremy Cameron) up there, he’s kicked 700 goals and he’s leading the Coleman. It’s pretty special.

“Now we’ve got Tys (Stengle) back, you can see what he does for our team. He really straightens us up, applies that forward pressure and makes the rest of us do it as well.

“We love playing together and we’re just scratching the surface.”

 – WITH AAP