Hawthorn Hawks midfielder James Worpel set to join Geelong Cats in free agency, says Sam McClure

Hawthorn midfielder James Worpel will join Geelong as a free agent at the end of the season, according to Nine journalist Sam McClure.

Worpel, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has played 131 games for the Hawks and won their 2019 best and fairest.

According to McClure, the tough inside midfielder is exactly what the Cats have been searching for, and he feels the deal is already as good as done.

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“The massacre in the centre square at the MCG on Sunday was quite overwhelming. I know that Geelong has been going after guys in that area to try and build it and Bailey Smith and Max Holmes are very good players, but they were torched by Carlton,” McClure told the Tradies podcast.

“It speaks to why they went so hard at Clayton Oliver at the end of last year and they’ll probably have another sniff around, but I think a cheaper version of Oliver would be (Worpel).

“This feels like the Bailey Smith situation last year. I think that deal is done.

“I think that James Worpel has all but agreed to life at Geelong.”

The 26-year-old grew up in Bannockburn, a town near Geelong, which would likely be a factor in his decision.

Nine’s chief AFL reporter Tom Morris has previously reported that the Hawks are yet to even offer Worpel a new contract.

“Genuine 50-50 at the moment. My sense is that Hawthorn won’t offer him a long-term deal. When they do offer him a deal, it’ll be approximately the three years mark,” Morris told WWOS in early April.

“If someone can come with five years, then maybe his head is turned. Melbourne and St Kilda are the clubs most interested at the moment.

“The Hawks see Josh Ward and Henry Hustwaite and others coming through as people that can potentially take his role and who are younger. It speaks to the strength of their list.

“If he does leave as a free agent, then the Hawks can get a compensatory draft pick, and they already have Carlton’s first and second-round picks.”

Worpel has played four games for the Hawks so far in 2025, having recently returned from an ankle injury suffered in Opening Round.

The move would be the latest note in the Geelong-Hawthorn rivalry, which has taken on new life in the last 20 years, following the 2008 grand final, the ‘Kennett Curse’, Isaac Smith’s move to the Cats and many epics on Easter Monday and in September.