St Kilda have bolstered their ruck stocks with the signing of former Geelong big man Ryan Abbott.
The 28-year-old joins the Saints as a delisted free agent, having spent three seasons on the Cats' list.
It follows a busy off-season at Moorabbin, with a host of new faces joining the club as they look to climb up the ladder under new coach Brett Ratten.
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Brad Hill, Paddy Ryder, Zak Jones, Dougal Howard and Dan Butler have all moved to the Saints, while Josh Bruce and Jack Steven have departed.
Abbott is expected to provide depth behind Ryder and emerging tall Rowan Marshall.
Geelong had committed to re-drafting Abbott as a rookie, but with the delisted free agency window shutting on Friday, St Kilda pounced and signed up the 200cm former basketballer.
Saints list manager James Gallagher said Abbott has shown he can mix it at the highest level.
"With Rowan and Paddy we believe the ruck position will be a real strength in 2020, but it is an area we have been looking to add depth to," Gallagher said.
"Signing Ryan provides great cover and bolsters our overall list.
"While he has had limited opportunities at Geelong, he's shown that he is more than capable at AFL level both in the ruck and as a marking option up forward.”
"He is a strong character and we are really looking forward to Ryan joining the club immediately."
Abbott played five games for the Cats, though only added one to his tally in 2019 despite Geelong struggling for consistency in the area.
