GEELONG's senior players have offered their support to injured youngster Billie Smedts, who won't play again this year after needing an operation to fix a hip problem.
Smedts was troubled by sore spots in his back and hip throughout the pre-season and has been unable to make an appearance in the VFL.
By sending him off for surgery, Geelong has chosen to take a long-term approach with the highly-regarded midfielder.
"Once he comes to the footy club each morning, regardless of his injury, he's still going to be part of the banter around the footy club, which is great," defender Harry Taylor told afl.com.au.
"We'll get him involved in the banter as much as possible."
Taylor, who is a member of Geelong's leadership group, has encouraged 18-year-old Smedts to use his time on the sidelines to learn as much as he can about the game.
"It will give him a great chance to watch some players and model his game on them," Taylor said.
"He might spend some time in the VFL coach's box and might spend some time working with the line coaches.
"He's going to get some great insight into some players that line-up in the position that he wants to grab in years to come."
Smedts was recruited by the Cats in 2010 NAB AFL Draft. The club selected him using one of the picks it received as compensation for losing Gary Ablett to Gold Coast.
Taylor and the other Geelong leaders have also pledged to support emerging midfielder Simon Hogan, who is battling depression.
Hogan has taken an indefinite break from football so he can seek treatment.
"When he's at the footy club, we just try to treat him like we would every other person," Taylor explained.
"That banter, camaraderie and mateship, which is really important around a football club, can really help him I think.
"He's getting professional help from other people, and that's their job.
"It's not our job to delve into that field, it's more to try and be the best teammates that we can to help him out."
The issue for Geelong when it takes on North Melbourne at Skilled Stadium on Saturday is making sure it is "up" for the game, because the clash with North Melbourne will be just its second in 22 days.
The Cats had a 10-day break between their round four and five matches against the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn, and last weekend they had the bye.
"We got a couple of days just to rest and take it easy, which was pretty good physically but probably even better mentally for us at this stage of the year," Taylor said.
"In the past we've dropped off a bit around this time of year, so it's good to get that mental break.
"We trained pretty hard this week to make sure we are physically ready for the Kangaroos."
Adam McNicol covers Geelong news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_AdamMcNicol
