New Geelong recruit Bailey Smith will quickly help the perennial AFL premiership contenders go to another level, says star Cat Max Holmes.
Smith joined from the Western Bulldogs in the dying minutes of this year's trade period.
The 23-year-old missed all of 2024 with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear suffered last December but is set to be ready to go for pre-season matches and the season proper.
"I've done a couple of training sessions with Bailey, and he loves training, works the house down," Holmes said.
"He's a fantastic bloke, and I think he's going to be really good for us as a team.
"We do have a lot of older players, we've got a lot of younger players. We actually don't have that many in like around his kind of age.
"So I think it's good to just have that kind of diversity, and he comes in as someone that a lot of boys will look up to, and he's really just going to set some standards around here.
"And obviously he's a fantastic player. He's a top-10 draft pick. We've seen some incredible footy from him, so I can't wait to start playing with him in the future."
Smith's frustrations at the Bulldogs included being given limited midfield minutes due to their star-studded on-ball brigade.
But gun midfielder Holmes said he was "not sure" whether his new teammate was a midfield lock.
"He's very versatile. I obviously have no idea what the team looks like for round one next year. But he's obviously a guy that he can run all day, and he's very skilful," Holmes said.
"So, yeah, obviously, right now we see him playing in the midfield round one, but, like, who knows?
"It might be on a wing, it might be half-back.
"Whatever it is, he's a skilful and classy player that's going to really help the team."
Holmes, 22, won Geelong's best and fairest this year as a gun midfielder but is prepared to shift to half-back if required by coach Chris Scott.
"I think I have the most influence in the midfield for myself, but yeah, it's not really up to me at the end of the day," he said.
Holmes is determined to step up as a leader and confident his body can hold up, after he suffered a hamstring injury in the preliminary final.
That heartbreaking loss to eventual premiers the Brisbane Lions will give some extra fuel heading into 2025.
"You don't necessarily need a motivator to try and play good footy and win, but yeah, it definitely is one," he said.
"It's in the back of our minds most of the time, I reckon."
