GEELONG mature-age rookie James Podsiadly is eligible for selection in this weekend's round-one match after he was upgraded to the reigning-premier's senior list.

The 28-year-old was taken by the Cats with pick 50 in last year's NAB AFL Rookie Draft after a season with Geelong's VFL side that saw him kick 68 goals and finish third in the Liston trophy (the VFL equivalent of the Brownlow medal).

He is filling the senior-list position vacated by youngster Mitch Brown - who has been moved to the long-term-injury list due to recurring a leg problem - and will be eligible for senior selection until Brown is fit enough to reclaim his spot.

Podsiadly, who is a life member of the VFL, was selected in the VFL's team-of-the-year at centre half-forward on four occasions.

The Cats only played three pre-season matches, rather than four, due to one match being washed out and Podsiadly, who played forward in all of them, was thought of as an excellent candidate for upgrading.

Geelong football manager Neil Balme said Podsiadly was an obvious choice to fill the hole left by Brown.

“James is in the mix for selection and so it was an easy decision to upgrade him,” Balme said.

“It doesn’t mean he will play this week, but he played all the way through the practice-match schedule and if the match committee want him he is available.”

Podsiadly is yet to play a senior AFL game despite spending a year on both Essendon and Collingwood's lists in 2000 and 2002 respectively.

With Geelong's season-opener against the Bombers this Friday night, there would be a certain amount of irony if he was selected to play his first game against a team that he was a part of at the start of the decade.

Brown, Geelong’s first draft pick in 2008, suffered a broken leg during the 2009 pre-season that saw him miss the entire season. He underwent further surgery on his leg in January and is not expected back until late April at the earliest.

James Podsiadly is a $77,800 forward in this year’s Toyota AFL Dream Team