The world has a funny way of reminding you how quickly the years fly by. 

When new draftee, Harley Barker walked through the doors for his first day at Geelong, he was greeted by the Cats skipper, Patrick Dangerfield for an impromptu chat. 

In that moment, it was an 18-year-old Barker in the first moments of his AFL career chatting to a modern-day great, who is entering his 19th pre-season. 

The strangely poetic moment was not lost on Geelong's newest recruit, who provided insight into his first week at the club.

"Probably Patrick Dangerfield, I reckon. He came up and I had a chat with him, it was pretty cool talking to him," Barker said. 

"Then Ollie Dempsey came over, the player that I play like and looked up to throughout the year. Having them both standing right in front of me was pretty cool. 

"I think the opening line was that this is his 19th season, so it made him feel really old already. I am 18 and he is going into his 19th pre-season, which is just crazy.

"He is pretty good, he just comes up and has a normal chat to you which is cool." 

While the age difference is quite humorous, Father Time certainly has not tapped Dangerfield on the shoulder just yet, following a remarkable performance in Geelong's Preliminary Final victory over Hawthorn.

With 360 games to his name, 206 of those in the blue and white Hoops, and a plethora of other awards such as a Brownlow Medal and three Carji Greeves Medals, Dangerfield has certainly written his name into the history books at Geelong. 

It is a history that Harley Barker was well aware of when the Cats called out his name on draft night, eager to start writing his own chapter in the Hoops from 2026 and beyond. 

"The history is massive, knowing that they have been pretty successful for many years," Barker said. 

"The people that come through the club are pretty good, very big names like Selwood and Hawkins.

"I am pretty excited, I know that the crew over here is really good. I knew that I was coming into a really good club that is pretty close and connected."

Barker will follow in the footsteps of another giant of the Geelong Football Club, inheriting the number 26 which was last worn by Tom Hawkins. 

"When I heard the number I was getting, I was pretty happy with it," Barker said. 

"Knowing the history that it has had, I can't wait to drive my own future and career in this number and hopefully make it a good one."