Jed Bews Delisted by Geelong Cats After 175 Games and 2022 Premiership

Geelong has delisted premiership player Jed Bews and two teammates as it prepares for the 2027 AFL season. Bews, 32, played 175 games across 15 seasons with the Cats, including the 2022 Grand Final victory over Sydney, but did not feature at senior level in 2026. George Stevens and Keighton Matofai-Forbes were also delisted.

Bews ends 15-year Geelong career

Bews was drafted as a father-son selection with pick 86 in 2011 and debuted in round 9 of 2014. He played 175 AFL games for the Cats, establishing himself as a reliable backline defender tasked with playing on opposition small forwards. He featured in two Grand Finals, becoming a key member of Geelong’s 2022 premiership team where he played 23 games that season.

In 2024, Bews was awarded Geelong Life Membership in recognition of his decade-plus contribution. During the 2026 VFL season, he helped Geelong reach the minor premiership and Sunday’s VFL Grand Final, averaging almost 20 disposals per game across 16 appearances.

Stevens and Matofai-Forbes also exit

George Stevens, drafted by Geelong in 2023, played just four senior AFL games across three seasons. He made his debut against Richmond in round 17 of 2025 and earned two Brownlow Medal votes in that match. Stevens was delisted at the end of 2025 but was re-rookied and has now been delisted again.

Stevens excelled in the VFL, winning the J.J. Liston Trophy as best and fairest this year. Keighton Matofai-Forbes, drafted in 2024, never played a senior game for Geelong across two seasons. He was also delisted at the end of 2025 and re-rookied before this final delisting.

Club thanks Bews for impact on field and community

Andrew Mackie, Geelong’s executive general manager of football, praised Bews in a statement. “Jed has had a huge impact both on and off the field at Geelong,” Mackie said. “As a Geelong person, his influence on our football club and the wider Geelong community has been significant.”

Mackie added that Bews was a selfless teammate who played countless roles across his career. The club also thanked Stevens and Matofai-Forbes for their commitment to development during their time at Geelong.

Geelong reshapes list for 2027

The delistings follow Rhys Stanley’s retirement on Monday and Tyson Stengle’s delisting. Four Cats remain without certainty for 2027: Jake Kolodjashnij, Mitch Knevitt, Jack Bowes and Jacob Molier. Geelong will welcome Toby Greene from GWS and is interested in St Kilda ruck Rowan Marshall as it prepares for the trade period.

Final Thoughts

Bews departs as a club legend after 15 years and 175 games, including a premiership. His delisting, along with Stevens and Matofai-Forbes, signals Geelong’s shift toward recruiting established talent like Greene and Marshall for 2027.

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