GEELONG midfielder Steve Motlop has resisted interest from rival clubs, with the Cats confirming he has agreed to terms on a contract extension.
Joining Motlop in re-committing to the Cats is utility Mark Blicavs, with the club expected to announce the details of both deals in the coming days.
Motlop, 24, has been the subject of speculation in recent months, with Richmond and Adelaide thought to have been interested in his services.
On the day when the Cats farewell premiership players Steve Johnson, Mathew Stokes and James Kelly, they have confirmed a positive announcement on Motlop is imminent.
"We'll roll that out next week," Geelong football manager Steve Hocking told the ABC on Saturday.
"It's been a lot of work between [his] manager and myself, but we got there in the end.
"It was really just about making sure that he realised his value, but at the same time we maintained a pay structure as we have done."
Two months ago the Cats said they had given the speedy South Australian space "to work through some of the considerations" on the length of a potential extension.
He'll end the season on 88 AFL games after Saturday's clash with Adelaide after bouncing back from a one-game suspension earlier in the year for drinking just days before the Cats' season opener against Hawthorn.
Motlop was taken with pick No.39 in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft.
The Cats have recently signed up midfielder Cam Guthrie to a three-year deal and key forward Tom Hawkins to a five-year extension earlier in the season.
Hocking said last week he believed Blicavs would also commit "any week, probably any day", and took that further on Saturday by stating he would be "part of that group" of young players to sign new contracts this year in the next week.
"As far as the next week goes, we'll have a whole series of announcements," he said.
"It's been important to give these three guys their time in the sun."
Hocking said Jimmy Bartel's flexibility as a player and the fact he missed 11 weeks this year with a knee injury and has since performed well was behind his retention for another season.
He also said the belief Johnson was told for the first time this week that he wasn't going on at Geelong was incorrect.
"Steve was terrific. He understood where we were coming from, and the reality is he would like to play another year, every player wants to," he said.
"That's the tough thing … just bringing him to the realisation that's not going to happen at the club.
"Collectively, you step him through it. We didn't do it in just one hit, we had a conversation with Steve in the middle of the year.
"'If people are sitting out there thinking it's just been done in the last couple of days, that's not the case."
