Brad Ottens Biography

Brad Ottens and Max Rooke will be inducted into the Geelong's Hall of Fame.

Ottens and Rooke will become the 14th and 15th members of their 2007 and 2009 premiership teams honoured in the event at GMBHA Stadium's President's Room.

Brad Ottens joins the AFL-AIS Academy with a brief to improve the prospects of more young ruckmen in the national draft.

"There's only two really recognised ruckmen in the level-two AIS squad for next year's draft, but there's already five or six guys in the year below so it's just a cycle," Otten said.

"Clubs will always have a need for a good ruckman, but the role has changed and guys are going to have to be a fair bit more versatile than what they maybe once were."

Retired triple premiership ruckman Brad Ottens is back with Geelong as a part-time assistant coach.

"He's really well respected and really well liked by the playing group," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"We're confident that with our young ruckmen, and the addition of Orren Stephenson, that we'll have a pretty group straight away and an even better one in a couple of years."

After considering his options, Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens decides to retire from AFL football.

"The club has been great to me and I have had long discussions with Chris Scott about playing on. The time has come to make a decision and I think it's the right time to retire," Ottens said.

"I have had a great time through my career and would like to thank all of the people that have made playing so much fun. In particular my team mates at Geelong and Richmond, and the supporters who have been fantastic and passionate about the teams."

Geelong big man Brad Ottens says a lack of confidence as a key forward means his career will likely be played out in the ruck.

"The ruck is my spot with a little time up forward," Ottens said.

"That is my go. I didn't have the confidence as a key forward. I played a bit up there with Richmond and had some success, but I never got consistent results up there."

A stress reaction in Brad Ottens' foot means the Cats will be without their number one ruckman for six to eight weeks.

Brad Ottens has withdrawn from the Geelong side to take on Fremantle this Sunday, prompting a huge change in the betting odds.

Brad Ottens said the boating accident that left him with more stitches than games over the past 12 months could have been worse.

"All three of us in the boat ended up in the river but the boat kept going (in circles) and drove over me," Ottens said.

"It was coming straight at me, so it could have been a lot worse."

Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens is confident he can play in the NAB Cup despite a freak speedboat accident over Christmas.

"I will be ready to go in the NAB Cup but I'm not sure what the coach's plans are with that, so I may not play anyway. But by the start of the season this will have no impact at all," Ottens said.

Brad Ottens is recovering from an accident and has resumed running after suffering cuts to his right hand and arm when he made contact with the propeller of a boat he was skiing behind while on holiday in Echuca before Christmas.

"It was a bit scary, but it won't be a problem for him," Geelong general manager of football operations Neil Balme said.

"We just have to look after his hand, but I don't think that's a long-term problem though."

Geelong's Brad Ottens has escaped serious injuries while water skiing but will miss four to six weeks of training.

"The injury to his elbow and leg required stitches but will heal relatively quickly," general manager of football operations Neil Balme said in a statement.

"Brad is lucky that the cuts to his hand did not result in more serious injuries that would have sidelined him for a significantly longer period.

"He suffered two cut extensor tendons in his right hand, and he has undergone surgery to repair the tendons."

Geelong's Brad Ottens stands as the man to lift the Cats at the business end of the 2009 season after timing his return from injury to the senior side in time for the finals.

''Those first two weeks, I just, I battled away a little bit. And then ... the game against Werribee, I felt just like I'd turned the corner and I was moving around a lot better and I was able to run and jump a little bit and that sort of gave me the confidence as much as anything. And that made me feel like I could get back and play in round 22 and then last week again gave me a bit more confidence again," Ottens said.

''So it's pretty positive I suppose.''

Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens was rather nonchalant when discussing his AFL return since going down with a knee injury in round two.

"It was good. I felt the last month or so I've improved and got a bit more confidence in the body," he said.

"It was good to just get back and play a part. To play my role, that's all I can do."

Brad Ottens is excited to return to the Cats lineup after battling injury since the start of the season.

"I'm frustrated to have missed pretty much a whole year but I'm glad to be back at this part of the season and hopefully I can just make a positive contribution to the team, that's all I really want to do," Ottens told the Geelong Advertiser.

"I don't expect to dominate or anything, I just want to hopefully help play a role for the team and if I can do that, that'd be great."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says Brad Ottens will return to the senior side to face Fremantle but only as a backup ruckman.

"He obviously won't play the whole game and he won't be the No.1 ruckman," Thompson said.

"I think we have to be content that he's just going to come in and play a role as a secondary ruckman and maybe a bit of time forward."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says ruckman Brad Ottens will make his long-awaited return to the AFL this week in against Fremantle in the last regular season game for 2009.

"That's the debate - do we want him to play for two games going into finals, or one game," Thompson said.

"Speaking amongst the coaches, we've all got different views.

"Personally, I would like to see him play in the AFL before he played a final."

Brad Ottens will again line up for Geelong's VFL team after emerging from Saturday's match unscathed with Cats coach Mark Thompson saying he is unsure when the ruckman will return to the senior side.

"I'm not sure how long he's going to be in the VFL," Thompson said.

"He did some around-the-ground stuff but he didn't do any centre bounces, and it may be that he doesn't do any for the rest of the year.

"Really, it's out of my hands, I'll just be governed by what the fitness people say."

Brad Ottens makes a successful comeback to football playing at full-forward for the first half in the VFL against Casey.

Geelong names its premiership ruckman Brad Ottens for his first game since injuring his knee in April.

"Brad trained well this week and if everything goes okay at training on Friday we will play him for a period of the VFL game," Geelong football manager Neil Balme said.

Brad Ottens' knee complaint, initially considered so minor that he would be sidelined for as few as two matches, has blown out to a 13-week problem that could yet see the big Cat miss more than another fortnight of senior football.

"It's a bit risky to put a timing on it because we're always held to it. But it's sooner rather than later," Geelong football manager Neil Balme said.

"He's going well now. We're really pleased with where he is. He's still got a bit of work to do condition-wise, but we're quite pleased with how the knee's presenting."

Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens has suffered yet another set back in his recovery from a medial ligament tear with coach Mark Thompson admitting he has no idea when the 29-year-old might return.

"He's hit a bit of a wall and he can't improve," Thompson said.

"He's been running and doing everything but we need him to keep improving and he's not.

"We can't progress him too much more until he gets a bit stronger in some of the areas and some of the exercises we are trying to get him to do."

Mark Blake's CV from the past 2 1/2 years reads better than most ruckmen, yet conjecture mounts over his position at Geelong.

It's all to do with the imminent return of No. 1 ruckman Brad Ottens and the improved form of understudy Shane Mumford, plus a subtle change in the perception of ruckmen this season.

Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens has had an arthroscope on his knee but it will not affect his return.

Geelong ruckman Mark Blake entered the clash with Collingwood knowing his role would be vital in the absence of injured teammate Brad Ottens.

Blake and youngster Trent West may not have been prolific ball-winners around the ground, but they at least established a clear dominance of their ruck duel with sole Magpie big man Josh Fraser.

Trent West is the obvious choice to replace the injured Brad Ottens, according to coach Mark Thompson.

Geelong will be without Brad Ottens for up to a month and youngster Mitch Brown is out for the year.

Following scans on his right knee today, Ottens has been diagnosed with a slight grade one medial ligament strain.

Mitch Brown, the club’s first draft pick of the 2008 National Draft, has been diagnosed with a break of the fibula in his left leg following the VFL practice match on the weekend.

He will miss the entire 2009 season. Mitch Brown, the club’s first draft pick of the 2008 National Draft, has been diagnosed with a break of the fibula in his left leg following the VFL practice match on the weekend.

He will miss the entire 2009 season.

Brad Ottens knee injury not as bad as feared and he'll only miss two to four weeks.

Brad Ottens may be out for up to six weeks after injuring his right knee in yesterday's win against Richmond.

Geelong faces a critical test of its ruck stocks over the next two months after losing premiership big man Brad Ottens.