Geelong champion makes shock comeback call

Retired Geelong Cats hero Jimmy Bartel has revealed he is seriously considering making a comeback to the AFL.

A year after calling it quits, Bartel on Monday said he still had the "competitive itch" and would listen to offers if approached by a club.

“I’m a footballer first and competitive by nature and that’s probably been the toughest thing for me this year, to actually find something to get that competitive itch scratched,” Bartel said on RSN.

“I think you have to have the conversation, don’t you? If you’re a footballer for 15 years, I think you do.

“And that doesn’t mean you’re going to say yes, but what’s the harm in talking to people?”

The 33-year-old said he'd rather have a crack at a comeback and fail than die wondering.

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Bartel pointed to the successful careers of Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge (who recently announced he had reconsidered his retirement decision and was playing on with Brisbane) well into their 30s as a big reason why he could do it.

“I think it’s changed everyone’s thinking and the landscape of it,” Bartel said.

“Previously, until these guys did it, I think everyone goes, ‘you ruin your legacy’ and all that. But I think people understand the bigger picture now and I still think of Sam Mitchell as a Hawthorn legend.

“I still think of Luke Hodge as a Hawthorn legend, (Jordan) Lewis as well.”

Bartel also said he's considered a comeback all throughout 2017 but radio and MRP commitments took hold.

“I am such a competitive person,” Bartel said.

“A lot of people sit there and go ‘why would you do that and risk damaging your legacy?’, but footballers at the highest level are natural risk takers.

“It’s a bit of the conversation about, ‘why would you want to get to a grand final and lose?’.

“People would say, ‘I’d rather have lost in the prelim because then I don’t have to suffer the heartache’.

“I’d rather the chance of winning the premiership. I’d rather go six grand finals and lose them all than never make a grand final.

“I think if you ask a lot of footballers who have had a long career, they’d have the same mindset.

“So to take that across to another club, I don’t care what people think of me, but I’d rather have the opportunity and fail than not have the opportunity.”