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The young Cat Stewart tips to inherit his defensive role
SEN • July 23rd, 2026 5:30 pm
Geelong veteran Tom Stewart has seen some promising signs from a range of young Cats.
However, one young gun coming through the VFL has particularly struck his attention.
Since joining Geelong in 2017, Stewart has seen a number of star talents roll through the ranks, and at 33 years of age, the veteran is well aware of the club’s need to move into a new generation of young guns.
Working with a range of talents, Stewart named three young stars in particular that he believes Cats fans should be excited about.
He focused on last week’s debutant while also noting a defensive talent that could step into his intercept role in the coming years.
“Jay Polkinghorne last week was special to see,” Stewart told SEN Breakfast.
“Going up against Cal Wilkie (in his debut) – that is no mean feat.
“Some of his contests and his cleanliness with ball-in-hand, we’ve been seeing that at training for a number of weeks now. That was really cool to see.
“I come up against him in most match plays, and you see what he does at training… it’s a shame that we lose Jeremy Cameron, but it’s really cool to see those guys come in.
“There's another guy in the VFL that’s really ready to play and that’s Lennox Hofmann.
“Got a bit of a soft spot for Lenny, he plays in the same spot as me. We’ve done a lot of work together and I’m excited if he gets his opportunity.
“I think Mitch Edwards, for a young ruckman, some of the things I’ve seen him do should be exciting for Cats fans moving into the future.
“I think there’s an array of them that have come in and shown why they’re on a list. It makes me want to hang on for a bit longer to see what we can achieve in the future.”
Stewart and the Cats will take on Melbourne on Friday night in a top-six shaper at the MCG.
Listen to Tom Stewart's full interview on SEN Breakfast:
