Dependable and reliable key defenders are hard to find, but Geelong great Harry Taylor proved to be that and so much more throughout his career in the Hoops.
Taken with pick 17 in the 2007 national draft, Taylor took no time finding his way into the reigning premiers’ starting line-up, debuting immediately in the opening round of the 2008 season.
The defender made a terrific start to his career, but his breakout game came in 2009 on the biggest stage of all, putting together a brilliant performance in the 2009 Grand Final.
Matched up against arguably the best forward in the competition at the time, Taylor held Nick Riewoldt to just 13 disposals and one goal as the Cats claimed the Premiership with a 12 point victory.
Finishing as a two time Premiership player and two time All-Australian, Taylor will be inducted into the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame next Saturday.
The 280 game legend joined the K rock Breakfast show during the week, to discuss the Hall of Fame dinner and the chance to catch up with some of his old teammates.
“It should be a great night,” Taylor said.
“My wife and parents are coming over, they are obviously very important people and have been a big part of the journey, so I am glad that they could make the time and effort to get there.
“It will be awesome to catch up with a lot of old teammates, you tend to pick up stories from where you left off regardless of how long you have been apart.
“I think we have a high number of eligible life members because of the recent premiership, so it will be great to see a lot of those guys.
“I felt like a bit of a proud father in 2022, I am looking forward to going back there and catching up with them.”
Across his 280 game career, Taylor matched up against a number of this generation’s greatest forwards, while also proving to be one of the best intercept defenders of the modern era.
The Cats star polled 40 Brownlow votes across his time in the Hoops, eclipsing the career totals of defensive counterparts Matthew Scarlett and Corey Enright.
In the latter stages of his career, Taylor showed plenty of versatility and was often deployed down forward to great effect.
On five different occasions he booted a bag of five goals or more, including a six goal haul against the GWS Giants in 2012.
The Cats champion called time on his AFL journey at the end of the 2020 season, bringing to a close a simply brilliant career.
Taylor returned to the Cats in 2022 leading the medical and fitness team for one season, playing an instrumental role behind the scenes during Geelong’s Premiership year.
Harry Taylor will be awarded for his incredible career on the 22nd of June, as he and a number of other Cats legends are inducted into the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame.
