Geelong defender Jake Kolodjashnij says he’s ‘humbled’ to play his 150th game for the Cats this weekend when they take on St. Kilda at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. 

Kolodjashnij didn’t take up Australian Rules until the age of 13 after growing up playing soccer and basketball, but the lure of the footy oval across the road in the Launceston suburb of Prospect would eventually be too much, and the rest is history. 

Looking back on his journey this week, Kolodjashnij said he was grateful to land at Kardinia Park after being taken with the 41st pick of the 2013 National Draft. 

“It’s gone super quick, to be honest, I can still remember my first game like it was yesterday," he told media on Tuesday morning. 

“It's pretty humbling to be a part of such a great footy club and I"m just grateful that I had the opportunity as an 18-year-old to hone my craft, and learn from some great people.

"It's been a really good journey and it's gone a lot quicker than I imagined it would but it's really humbling to play 150 for such a great club.”

The athletic 193cm defender has been a key part of a Geelong defensive unit that has not only held the line with vice-captain Tom Stewart sidelined through suspension but has excelled, with the Cats now going for their 11th straight win on the weekend. 

Kolodjashnij said while the confidence the group has in each other is palpable, there’s still improvement to be found. 

“Once we get the game on our terms and we're feeling confident and good about ourselves, we can take it to anyone," he said.

"[But] the challenge for us going forward is doing that for four quarters now and not leaving it too late, and not letting teams jump us at the start.”

However, the week’s work may only just be beginning for the 26-year-old, who has more than a few tickets requests to service.  

[I’ve], got a bit of family coming down for the game from Queensland so I've got a few ticket requests to sort out this week, but it should be nice to have some family and friends come down.”

Brad Close says he’s just happy being a regular in the side ahead of his 50th game this weekend, despite emerging as a key cog in the Cats September charge this season.

It’s symbolic of a side that despite playing for their 11th win in a row this weekend against St. Kilda, Close and the Cats are still hungry to find ways to get better each week. 

The former Rookie’s forward half pressure and chase-down tackles are a highlight of any Cats game, but they’re just one of a host of reasons Close is so important to Geelong this season, despite his humility. 

“I'm happy being a regular in the side,” he told media during the week.

“I'm more than happy playing a role and I know that each week if I can do the little things that I do to help the side, things like bringing the pressure and hopefully finish with a goal or two at the end of the game, it's great fun being out there.”

Close said that continuous improvement is a key focus of the group each week, and the ability to absorb the opposition's best, and still get the win, is helping them build confidence. 

“There are a few parts of our game that we need to knuckle down in the next few weeks," Close said. 

“Obviously, we keep trying to improve each week so we know where we let it slip a couple of times and it's a good positive sign to know we can lock it down later in the game and get it back the way we want it.”

Close made his name playing for North Gambier in the Western Border league in his late teens, winning two premierships before shifting to Glenelg in the SANFL where he was a part of the Bays 2019 drought-breaking premiership team. 

It wasn’t long after that the Cats came calling, but it’s the first two flags that really made an impact at home where his Dad, Andrew, was a 382 game Western Border league legend. 

Close said he’s got a way to go to catch up to the old man’s tally but he’ll be there on Saturday to see him run through the banner. 

“In terms of country footy I'm well behind him but he loves getting around the footy so he'll be over, I'm sure.”