‘Injury-riddled’ Worpel happy to be home in Geelong
Oliver Caffrey |
After his “most injury-riddled year”, James Worpel is backing himself to be a permanent Geelong midfielder following his switch from Hawthorn.
The 26-year-old still played 21 games for the Hawks in 2025, but his season was set back immediately when he suffered an ankle injury in the first game.
He only missed three games but wasn’t able to recapture the form that led to him winning Hawthorn’s best-and-fairest as a 20-year-old back in 2019.
An opportunity to move back to the area he grew up in – he is one of nine siblings – was too hard to pass up for the boyhood Cats supporter.
Worpel will boost an on-field brigade that was badly beaten in the second half of their grand final loss against the Brisbane Lions.
It comes a year after Geelong recruited Bailey Smith to bolster their midfield depth.
“It was probably my most injury-riddled year, which was annoying and probably not good timing with the contract and everything,” Worpel told reporters in Geelong on Wednesday.
“But we made a prelim final and we got to play some finals and Hawthorn are a really strong team, and they’re going to contend again.
“Geelong being interested was flattering and the timing was perfect.
“Footy is not forever and opportunities like this don’t come around very often.
“I’m good enough to be playing in the midfield at Hawthorn, and I think I’ll be good enough to play here as well.
“So it wasn’t really worrying me too much about that position in the team.
“But the nostalgia around coming home and being close to my family and friends is the main drawing card.”
Worpel will reunite with Gryan Miers, who he played with in an under-18 premiership for the Geelong Falcons in 2017.
Another member of that underage team from eight years ago, Sam Walsh, is out of contract at Carlton at the end of next season and rival clubs will look to prise him out of the Blues.
“Me and Walshy speak every now and again as well,” Worpel said.
“There’s a few players out there from that (Falcons) team that are good players.
“So whatever he does at Carlton is up to him, but of course we’d welcome him in the blue and white.”
AAP
