Geelong list manager Stephen Wells says it was a “tough decision” to delist father-son selection Oscar Brownless.
Brownless, the son of Geelong champion Bill, finished runner-up in the Cats’ VFL best and fairest this season, but never played a senior game during his three years at the club.
Geelong is looking to free up list spots to bring in new young talent via the draft and possibly the rookie draft.
The Cats currently hold picks 22, 30, 32, 34, 50 and 91 in this year’s National Draft.
“Whether it be Oscar or any of our other players, it’s very, very hard to make that decision,” Wells told SEN Mornings.
“It’s the worst time of year when you’re telling players that they’re not getting a contract.
“Oscar has had three years at the club, the last two years have been COVID affected where he hasn’t had the opportunity to play as much footy as he possibly could in a normal circumstance and show his development and show where he could’ve gone with his footy.
“He’s now got a shoulder injury as well, so we’re supporting Oscar as best we can.
“When we sat down with him the other day and said unfortunately he wasn’t getting a contract, we did really encourage him to not give up on his dream to be an AFL player, if that’s what he still wants to do.
“It can still go his way, just because you’re getting delisted now after three years doesn’t mean he won’t get another opportunity in the future.
“He’s got that character that if he wants to put his mind to it, he’ll get the best out of himself. We just felt we were at a time where we needed to turn over the list a bit and take advantage of some opportunities we’ve got through the draft and perhaps even the rookie draft.
“It was a tough decision.”
Brownless, who was delisted in 2019 before being re-signed as a rookie, was selected as a father-son with pick No.74 in the 2018 draft.
The 21-year-old averaged 22 disposals in the VFL in 2021.
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