Geelong recruiting doyen Stephen Wells has returned to the club.
Wells quietly resumed full-time work at the Cats as far back as a month ago after stepping down to consider his future.
But in a significant turnaround, the AFL’s longest-serving recruiting boss was only away from the club for two weeks before reporting back for duty.
Wells has once again assumed his demanding dual role portfolio as list manager and head of recruiting.
He and the club have agreed to reassess the positions at the end of this season, but it is now highly likely he will continue at Geelong in 2022 even if his responsibilities are altered.
Wells’ return came well before full-time recruiter Troy Selwood left the Cats to join Collingwood, where the former Brisbane Lion will help fill the hole left by departing list boss Ned Guy.
Wells has premiership player Andrew Mackie as part of his list management team, while Simon Murphy has also been involved. Selwood’s departure means the Cats will need to look for reinforcements in this department.
The club says Wells returning and Selwood leaving are not related in any way. Wells has been involved in recruiting at Geelong since the mid-1980s and played a key role in turning the club into a premiership powerhouse from 2007 onwards.
But in recent years the Cats have turned more to the free agency and trade markets in an attempt to defy the equalisation process and remain in flag contention.