One of the most important players in the Geelong line-up over a long period of time, Jack Henry is set to reach his 150th AFL game this Sunday against the West Coast Eagles.
It is a journey that started on the Cats rookie list in 2016, Henry growing in stature each year and developing into one of the best key defenders in the competition, often tasked with nullifying the league's best forwards each week.
While he may not garner as much attention as some his teammates, Henry has played some pivotal roles in Geelong's backline across his career, becoming a premiership player in 2022 and receiving the Cats best young player award in 2018.
Mark Blicavs had plenty of positive things to say about the milestone man during his press conference, ahead of Henry's 150th game on Sunday night.
"It is amazing, he had a really good start to his career and then had a few injuries along the way, it has been tough on him but he is as resilient as ever," Blicavs said.
"He is a great mate Jack, I would love to say he is one of our hardest workers but he is just naturally talented as well. He could go out there today and he would take four intercepts, he will beat me with four contested marks, he will go to the gym and squat heavier than majority of the guys in the team, then he will spend time in the sauna.
"He is just a no fuss character that like a lot of the defenders down there, it doesn't matter how hard a job you give them, they are just happy to do it and they embrace it.
"It is very special, looking forward to playing with him in another special game that you can tick off and be involved in. I am really proud of Jack, it is an awesome effort."
After being selected with pick 16 in the 2016 rookie draft, Henry spent his first year with Geelong plying his trade at VFL level, making 13 appearances and kicking eight goals.
It did not take long for the Cats to recognise the talent that Henry had at his disposal, thrusting him into to the AFL line-up for his debut in Round 2 of the 2018 season.
In just his sixth match the star defender received an AFL Rising Star nomination, collecting 18 disposals, 11 marks (five intercept marks) and three tackles in Geelong's big win over GWS.
There was no looking back from there, as Henry went on to play 90 games over the next four seasons, predominantly playing in defence but also swinging forward at times and showing plenty of versatility.
A standout season in 2021 saw Henry finish runner-up in the Carji Greeves Medal, before producing a number of iconic moments in 2022 during Geelong's journey to the premiership, including a clutch game-winning goal against Richmond in Round 15.
Of course there have been some hurdles along the way, with injuries restricting the star Cat to just 28 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
But showing plenty of resilience and persistence, Henry bounced back and played every game in Geelong's 2024 campaign, dominating down back and finishing in the AFL's top 15 players for intercept marks, intercept possessions and contested marks.
Henry is set to reach the 150th game of his AFL career this weekend, when the Cats take on West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday night.
