Not many would have predicted the incredible journey that Gryan Miers had ahead of him, when the young local product first stepped foot into the Geelong Football Club at the end of 2017. 

Fresh off a seven goal haul for the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup Grand Final, the small forward from Grovedale had shown plenty of talent and had been a dominant junior player but still slid down the draft board, the Cats eventually selecting him with pick 57. 

After plying his trade at VFL level during his first season at Geelong, Miers earned an opportunity at the top level in 2019 and took it with both hands, commencing a terrific career which has seen him develop into one of the Cats most important players. 

Now on the cusp of his 150th AFL game with a premiership and numerous other accolades under his belt, Miers said the milestone is a nice reminder of how far he has come. 

"The number doesn't mean much, but being here and being part of this team and community has meant a lot to me," Miers told Cats Media. 

"To get to a number or a milestone kind of just ticks off how far you have come, I think that is what means a lot to me. It gives me time to look back and also to look forward to how lucky I have been to be a part of this place. 

"I think a lot of players talk about that, that they will look back once they finish and I think I am the same. Even now, I haven't even watched the [2022] Grand Final back properly, I think that is something I will save for when I finish my career.

"I am very privileged and very grateful with the support, the place I have been put in and how it has all turned out for me. I am very lucky."

When Miers' name was read out on draft night it was a welcome sound, not just because his AFL dream had been realised but because it allowed him to stay close to home, in the region where he had spent his entire childhood. 

After starting out at Torquay, he then moved to Grovedale where he played most of his junior football, featuring for the Geelong Falcons before landing at the Cats at the end of 2017. 

At the start of his AFL career, Miers played more of a traditional small forward role but his position has grown and evolved each season, now pushing up the ground and being a vital connector between half back and half forward for Geelong. 

Miers believes that it is a strength of the Cats coaching staff and team, that they are able to extract the best out of every player and find the role that is most suited to each individual. 

"There is always room to grow and there is always room to change," Miers said. 

"I am moving up and I keep going further, maybe I will be a backman before I finish up.

"I think it is just doing what is best for the team, Chris Scott and the coaching staff do an amazing job and always have, of putting players where their strengths lie. My strengths at the moment are my running and my delivery up the field, so they put me in spots to be able to use that and that is what is best at the moment.

"It might be different next year or the year after, but that is why we are such a consistent team is that once we get new recruits, how can we make that player blossom.

"They have been able to do that with me and change my game over time as well, then the buy in from the players has always been amazing to make it easy."

Another intriguing part of Miers' journey has been the development of his leadership skills, becoming a key figure both on and off the field for the Cats. 

With a number of incredible players to learn from, Miers said it has been a focus of his career to continue his evolution as a person. 

"Geelong has been the best little leadership factory, when you have guys like Joel [Selwood] and 'Scotty' at the top," Miers said. 

"Those guys are the pinnacle, but then there is little things that you grab off each person and I think that is how I go about my footy. If you take one thing from each person, I will never outdo someone at their best strength but if I can get halfway there, I think it compliments me as a person.

"Tom Stewart is a great leader, Patrick Dangerfield is a great leader, Tom Atkins, Mark Blicavs but they are all completely different.

"They are just four examples but there has been plenty more, even guys that don't play regularly that people wouldn't really understand how good a leader they are, I try to emulate and copy."

Miers will reach his 150th AFL game on Friday night, when the Cats take on Essendon at GMHBA Stadium.