Geelong coach Chris Scott has opened up on the “real risk” the club took to secure Max Holmes, who is tipped to be a “revelation” after his 2022 Grand Final heartbreak.

The 20-year-old Holmes enjoyed a breakout season last year as he cemented his place in the Cats’ best 22.

But it took a poorly timed hamstring injury to cruel his premiership campaign, with the young gun “brutally” overlooked by Scott – purely based on injury risk in the decider.

On Monday Scott revealed he had no doubt Holmes would be a player for the future for the Cats, and discussed why the club was so determined to jump up the draft to secure his services at pick 20 in 2020.

“We took a real risk to trade up in the draft to get Max,” he said On The Couch.

“We didn’t have our first round pick (in 2020), we traded up to get him.”

It took a live trade deal with Richmond for the Cats to land Holmes, giving the Tigers their 2021 first rounder in exchange – which was used on Tom Brown.

“I suspect Richmond traded with us because they thought, the reason trading in your first pick is a real risk in the live draft is that if you fall down the ladder hard, you could be giving up pick two or pick three in the draft,” Scott said.

“We knew that. We thought there was a chance, OK, we were an older list, that is could go pear shaped.

“But the guys were real confident in (Holmes).

“One because of the player he was but two, in terms of complimenting our group.

“He’s played mainly as an outside player.

“He’s got elite speed, he was a track and field athlete.

“We think he’s going to be more of an inside player.

“I’m not saying he’s Chris Judd or Paddy Dangerfield yet, who knows, but he’s got those attributes.

“Great out in space and quick but they can actually win the ball in traffic and burst away. Max has got that capacity.”

The Cats are in need of a tough inside mid given the retirement of skipper Joel Selwood, but Scott was quick to point out “if anyone tried to mimic Joel, they’d be a poor copy anyway”.