TOM GILLIES is set to nominate for the NAB AFL Draft after being told that Geelong will delist him in the coming days.

The 22-year-old was often touted as a ready-made replacement for champion backman Matthew Scarlett, who recently hung up his boots.

But Gillies has been squeezed out after playing only 13 AFL games since being selected by the Cats in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft.

A 192cm defender, he played just five games this year.

"He's going to be delisted," Gillies' manager Tim Hazell told AFL.com.au.

"We're going to let the dust settle from the trade period.

"Then we'll see what comes over the next couple of weeks in regards to hopefully getting picked up in the national draft."

Under the new free agency rules, all delisted players become free agents.

So there is a small chance that a club might decide to sign Gillies before the NAB AFL Draft, which will be held on the Gold Coast on November 22.

"There are some clubs that have shown some genuine interest in Tom over the past 48 hours, so hopefully something can happen over the next couple of weeks," Hazell said.

A year ago Gillies was targeted by Hawthorn, but Geelong refused to do a deal with the Hawks, so he remained at Simonds Stadium for another season.

He was relatively impressive in the few AFL appearances he made for Geelong during 2012.

Playing across half-back, he gathered 19 possessions and took eight marks against Melbourne in round eight, and he picked up 18 touches and took seven marks against Greater Western Sydney in round 13.

Yet that match against the Giants proved to be his last outing in the AFL for the year.

He spent the remainder of the season in the reserves and was a part of the Geelong team that beat Port Melbourne in the VFL Grand Final.

"He's in a really good mindset," Hazell said. "He's pretty focused and just wants to get an opportunity to play some consistent footy."

The delisting of Gillies leaves Geelong with three vacant positions on its senior list.

One of them will be taken by midfielder Jesse Stringer, who will be formally elevated from the rookie list in the national draft.

Adam McNicol covers Geelong news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_AdamMcNicol