A mix of old and new is the order of the day for Geelong’s opening NAB Cup game against North Melbourne on Sunday.

Seventeen of the Cats 2009 premiership team have been named in the 29 player squad, along with eight debutantes at the senior level.

Only Tom Harley (retired), Brad Ottens, Matthew Scarlett, Paul Chapman and Max Rooke are missing from the line up that beat St Kilda on the last day of September.

The eight ‘first timers’ named in the squad are Tom Allwright, Allen Christensen, Mitch Duncan, Taylor Hunt, Steve Motlop, James Podsiadly, Dawson Simpson and Adam Varcoe.

Podsiadly last appeared in the NAB Cup in 2002, when he played three games with Collingwood while on the Magpies rookie list.

Three players from the squad will be named emergencies on the day.

The game marks a significant return for Josh Hunt, who ruptured his ACL in the NAB Cup grand final win over Collingwood last year. The injury caused Hunt to miss the entire 2009 campaign.

Hunt admits that the injury caused him to go through several emotions.

“I was grumpy for that long before I realised it wasn't going to get better by itself so I came into the club and just worked pretty hard on the rehab," he said.

"It was more shock at the start because it is something I have never done before, I've had a few little injuries here and there like stress fractures but nothing that says here and now that you're missing a year of footy. That was hard to take at the start.”

Geelong’s squad

Gary Ablett, Tom Allwright, Jimmy Bartel, Mark Blake, Shannon Byrnes, Allen Christensen, Joel Corey, Mitch Duncan, Corey Enright, Tom Gillies, Tom Hawkins, Josh Hunt, Taylor Hunt, Steve Johnson, James Kelly, Jeremy Laidler, Cameron Ling, Tom Lonergan, Andrew Mackie, Darren Milburn, Cameron Mooney, Steve Motlop, James Podsiadly, Joel Selwood, Dawson Simpson, Harry Taylor, Adam Varcoe, Travis Varcoe, David Wojcinski