Geelong head of recruiting Stephen Wells has confirmed the club’s interest in both Jonathon Ceglar and Tyson Stengle.
Hawthorn ruckman Ceglar is believed to be on the search for a new club having been asked to explore his options elsewhere.
Wells says the Cats have shown interest in Ceglar, but will only make a move for the 30-year-old if Darcy Fort is to leave Kardinia Park for Brisbane.
“The reason we made some inquiries about Jonathon is because there was some interest in Darcy Fort from another club,” Wells said on SEN Mornings.
“So yes, we have made some inquiries but that would all be dependent on whether Darcy Fort stays at the Cats and that’s still to be worked through.
“It’s been public or reported that Brisbane have shown some interest in Darcy and that’s right. If I had to guess right now, I reckon that Darcy will still be at Geelong next year.”
Former Richmond and Adelaide small forward Stengle is also on the radar of the Cats after kicking 44 goals for SANFL premiers Woodville-West Torrens this season.
It has been reported on Wednesday morning that his ex-Crows teammate and Carlton great Eddie Betts is set to join the Cats in a coaching role which would fit in well with any move for 22-year-old Stengle.
“Yeah we are (interested),” Wells said of Stengle.
“We think Tyson’s had a terrific period with Woodville-West Torrens. He’s been a good player in the SANFL all year including a good performance in the premiership winning team.
“We do have some interest in Tyson and he’s very lucky he’s got a man like Eddie in his corner.
“We haven’t committed to him yet, but it’s not just us that says we want Tyson. He’ll have to make that decision himself in conjunction with his management team. Tyson’s in a terrific position where he can have a bit of control over the decision that he makes and where he has his next opportunity at AFL level.
“We’d be pleased if Tyson ended up with Geelong.”
Wells also touched on current Cats youngsters Jordan Clark and Charlie Constable.
Clark’s camp are in discussions with Fremantle about a possible shift this trade period, but there is still plenty to play out.
“It’s going well. Out of respect for Jordan’s position and his request, we are talking to Fremantle,” Wells said.
“Andrew Mackie from here and David Walls from Fremantle have had plenty of conversations about all of this.
“There’s still a lot to work through. Jordan understands that he’s a contracted player and it would have to be a good deal for us to let him go.
“But that’s all being worked through at the moment, quite realistically I reckon.”
Wells responded to criticism of a reportedly high asking price, believed to be pick 8, in exchange for Clark.
“It’s been reported about pick 8. I can confidently say that we’ve never just said, ‘Give us pick 8 for Jordan Clark’. We’re not like that, we are realistic,” he added.
“That’s never been on the table, but we do expect that given he’s contracted we’ll try and organise a deal that is fair for everybody.
“In that sort of trade, there would have been an understanding that if pick 8 came our way, something else will go with Jordan. That’s not going to happen now.
“Both clubs and Jordan need to be happy with the outcome. All I know is there has been good, constructive discussions between us and Fremantle.
“Once a good concrete proposal has been put forward the decision could be made straight away.”
Midfielder Constable is exploring his options after finding senior game time hard to come by over the last few years.
Wells would be open to the 22-year-old moving on, but says the club will remain patient.
“Through discussions with his management group and with Charlie, we’ve just agreed that we’ll see what happens through the trade period,” he said.
“I’d love to see Charlie get an opportunity at another club. If that doesn’t happen then we’ll work through it all after the trade period. We’ve got until the end of October to make decisions on these players.
“We think Charlie would be a terrific person to keep around the club, but that’s still to be finalised.”
Constable’s agent Marty Pask recently told AFL Trade Radio that there has only been “moderate” interest in his client.
Geelong on Wednesday confirmed that five players - Rhys Stanley, Gary Rohan, Brad Close, Zach Guthrie and Francis Evans - have all signed extensions with the club.