Injury-plagued Geelong defender Matthew Egan will see another surgeon in a bid to continue his AFL career, coach Mark Thompson revealed on Thursday.

Thompson said the club would continue to stand by Egan, 25, in his quest to restart a promising career which stalled in Round 22 last year when he broke a navicular bone in his right foot.

The news comes a week after the Cats issued a statement declaring the 2007 All Australian defender's playing future was 'uncertain' following another unsuccessful operation.

"He hasn't got that much optimism but while he's got a chance he'll take every opportunity he can," Thompson said.

"Why wouldn't you? You don't want to be finished as a footballer at 24. He's doing whatever he can to get out there and we'll support him."

Thompson said the Cats would not consider recruiting a mature-age player in Saturday week's draft as a ready-made replacement for Egan should he not recover.

Nor would the Cats be tempted to recruit former West Coast captain Ben Cousins, who was given the green light by the AFL Commission on Tuesday to resume his league career.

"We probably haven't got the room in our salary cap and we've probably got a midfield that's OK," said Thompson, who endorsed the league's decision to welcome Cousins back to the fold. "It doesn't suit our recruiting policy, recruiting 31 year-olds."

As the Cats began their pre-season on Thursday, Thompson was still addressing questions about the club's meltdown in last season's decider against Hawthorn.

He said Hawthorn deserved to be rated the best team of 2008 because they won the grand final but 'if you're looking at the whole year, who finished (first) at the home and away season you'd clearly say Geelong'.

After initially declaring the defeat, just the club's second of the season, was too galling to ever overcome Thompson, in a bid to change the line of questioning, that he was 'OK with being a runner-up and being beaten by Hawthorn in a grand final'.

"We had a crack, we got to the grand final, which is exactly what every club aims to do," he said.

"We didn't win it, so be it. I am over it and I'm looking forward to 2009."

So too were the players, he said, after seven weeks off.

"They've all enjoyed their holiday and they've gotten over their soreness and aches and pains from last year," he said.

Meanwhile, the club announced it made a profit of $1.22 million in 2008, its ninth profit in a row.

Revenue had increased from $33.3 million in 2007 to $35.7 million last season, the club said.

"We are a rural club in a national competition," Thompson said. "To be raising the funds and be really competitive in a national competition's a credit to everyone here."