FORMER Wimmera footballers will play for Geelong in the 2019 VFL season.
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Former Warrack Eagle Charlie Wilson was selected for the Cats' senior VFL list while Horsham Saint Brayden Helyar made the 10-person development squad as a prospect player.
Wilson said he was relieved to secure a spot on the list.
"It's good to finally know, it's been a pretty long wait," Wilson said. "I've been trying to get feedback whenever I can to just to try and improve. Now it is good to get the chance."
Wilson said his main aim for the season was to earn a VFL debut. He said getting the chance in round one would be the dream scenario.
"The first major thing is to get a game then just try and stay in the team from there, that's the main goal," Wilson said.
"I'm not too sure about round one, it just depends a bit on the AFL guys and whether they play.
"There's a lot of guys competing for round one too, so it's going to be a tough couple of weeks...hopefully I can do enough and do end up earning a spot, but it is going to be tough."
Helyar also hopes he can push for selection at some stage this season. Helyar can play in some VFL matches thanks to the league's "23rd man" rule. The rule allows teams to have an extra player on the bench if that player is one-year out of the junior system.
Helyar said in the higher quality leagues there was a different metric for judging players, and he hoped a team-first mentality could put him in contention to debut.
"It's pretty full on, very different to the local footy back home and even compared to the TAC Cup," Helyar said.
"Because everyone is so talented, how far you can make it and how well you perform is a bit more IQ orientated. Everyone can kick, mark and handball, but it's the guys that fit into the system the best that will get a chance.
"It comes down to a lot of structural stuff, learning to play different roles and doing what is best for the team."
Wilson impressed in the Cats' most recent practice match with this mentality. Wilson was named in Geelong's best in a contest against against the Werribee Tigers on Friday.
"I didn't really think I'd played that well but yeah, that was good," Wilson said.
"It's just about playing your role to the best of my ability... at this level with the quickness of the game if you don't play your role then it really hurts the team."
Former Horsham Saint Kyle O'Connor is also hoping to retain his spot on Geelong's main list after playing with the Cats last season. The squad is set to be finalised later in the week.
Both Wilson and Helyar have also moved to play in the Geelong Football League for weeks they aren't playing with the Cats. Wilson has aligned with Bell Park while Helyar will play with Newtown and Chilwell.