SHAUN Mannagh knows how he wants the next few days to go. Geelong gets over Brisbane in Saturday's preliminary final and then on Sunday Werribee, the VFL team from which he was finally drafted, breaks through for a premiership win in the Grand Final against Southport.
"That's the plan. That would be the perfect weekend," Mannagh told AFL.com.au this week.
"We've got a big job ahead to put in the work and prepare for Brisbane and we started to do that last week, in preparing for both results depending on who got through so you get that headstart. We'll be more than ready for Saturday afternoon and hopefully that goes well and rolls into Sunday for the 'Bees' to get the job done too."
A week after the 27-year-old starred in the Cats' qualifying final win over Port Adelaide, when he had three goals from 23 disposals and 13 score involvements, the half-forward was back at the 'Bees' on his weekend off, watching them win through to a second successive Grand Final with a victory over the Lions' VFL side.
Everyone remembers Mannagh's standout game in last year's decider for the six-goal and 27-disposal performance that sealed his eventual drafting after being overlooked for eight years. He recalls it as a lost Grand Final, but recognises the difference a year has made in his football story.
"A few of us boys who aren't at Werribee anymore were able to go and watch it and look back with a fair bit of pride knowing we contributed in some way to the way the boys went," he said.
"We haven't been there this year and have had no say but building that winning culture is important too. Hopefully the boys get it done. Personally I look back over the 12 months and having dreamed of it all, now I'm here."
Mannagh's performance against Port Adelaide continued a high impact run for the Cats small forward, who Champion Data show to be one of the best players in the competition since returning to Geelong's line-up for the last eight games of the home and away season and then first final.
He had debuted in round one and held his spot against Adelaide the following week but was then sent back to the VFL before returning to Chris Scott's side in round 17.
"Being a new face coming in I had to show why I deserved to be playing and maybe at the time I had a good pre-season but I didn't have the impact I'd have liked coming in. My main plan was to go back and play within the team structure and to do my role so I knew if I only had 15 touches I'd make every one of them count," Mannagh said.
"That was probably the biggest message (from the coaches) – to go back and find my role within the team. It was a slow build at VFL level through that middle period of the season but once I really bought into that mindset and came into the AFL team I've been able to do that."
Finding his rhythm in a forward line brimming with premiership stars has also been part of the adjustment. He has joined a small forward group already as talented as any in the competition alongside Tyson Stengle, Gryan Miers and Brad Close (the quartet combined for 10 goals against the Power) and found his place, with a growingly regular off-field catch up at Squires Loft steakhouse part of the connection building.
"We go out for dinner during the week and I think it's going to turn into a weekly Squires Loft job if we keep winning. As a newer face coming into the club I've had to bide my time for the boys to figure out how I play and gel with them as well. But them all being a similar age to me has meant it's all been similar," he said.
"James Rahilly as the forwards coach puts a lot of time into us and we train at a pretty high level."
Mannagh wasn't always destined for the Cats. First eligible for the draft in 2015, he left the Murray Bushrangers out of Victoria's under-18 competition to play in the Ovens & Murray League. He signed with Werribee in 2020 but then was hit by the COVID curveball, ending up playing in the Northern Territory that year.
Smatterings of interest popped up in 2022 and 2023 before the Cats finally called his name at pick No.36 in November last year following a dominant VFL campaign with Werribee.
"I had spoken with Geelong a bit and 'Wellsy' (Cats recruiter Stephen Wells) was quite adamant they would [take me], it was just depending on where. I had a medical with Freo, I had an interview with Port Adelaide on the afternoon of the draft so that might have been to tick a few things off," he said.
"The Doggies had some good chats with me before the mid-season draft and I thought I was a pretty close to going there but they obviously took (Caleb) Poulter. Having the interest there fuels the fire in the belly and you think you're a bit closer. It was a pretty surreal time post this time last year. It got pretty crazy."
After the draft, Wells recounted that there was a part of him that wished Mannagh didn't have such a standout Grand Final day for it thrust him further in front of rivals. Mannagh smirked at the comment.
"You just want to play well on the big stage. Maybe it made them pick me a bit earlier, so maybe it's a good thing," he said.
Since the win over Port Adelaide two weeks ago, Mannagh has had the same questions thrown at him about why it took so long. He has his views on that and thinks in 2022 there was a chance there but Werribee's form wasn't as strong so perhaps fewer recruiters were watching. Now in, he wants to go one better than the 'Bees' were able to last season – while hoping they do the same on Sunday.
"There were a couple of comments the other week after the final like 'Where have you been for nine years?' or 'Where has this come from?' and my answer back is if I got drafted nine years ago I feel I could have had the same impact then," Mannagh said.
"Maybe not to the same level, but eventually build into that. We've had great self-belief and I think you probably need that if you want to make it at the level. It helps with the support I've had around me."
