REIGNING best and fairest winner Mark Blicavs won't be required to ruck this season if all goes to plan at Geelong in 2016.

With Gold Coast ruckman Zac Smith added in the off-season to a list that already boasted quality talls Rhys Stanley, Nathan Vardy and Mitch Clark, coach Chris Scott said the Cats hoped Blicavs would fill a different role.

Blicavs' role remains under wraps but the superb runner could play as a mobile midfielder, plug holes in defence or become a wingman that is virtually impossible to match-up on.

Scott said the most important thing for the club was to have options when it came to the ruck because the position had proved an Achilles heel in recent times, putting the Cats behind the eight ball in big games. 

"You have either got too many or not enough. You never get it exactly right," Scott said.

"Hopefully there is genuine competition for spots because we won't play them all."

He said the effect of once again having four players on the interchange bench remained to be seen but it might mean more talls could play. 

"The jury is still out on what type of player that fourth spot will be. Clearly there is more room for a big guy if we choose to go down that path," Scott said.

Scott said he views Vardy – who has played just 24 games in five years – as more of a forward/ruckman than a ruckman/forward.

He said Stanley and Clark – who played eight games apiece in their first season with the club – were both flexible, and that Smith was exciting.

As for Blicavs' spot in that roll call of talls.

"We're hoping [he] won't be a ruckman at all but we have that one up our sleeve," Scott said.