Geelong defender Harry Taylor in career-best condition as Cats veteran eyes another flag

Geelong is adamant Harry Taylor will prove his doubters wrong next year, with the key defender determined to win another flag in what could be his last season of footy.

Harry Taylor at Geelong training. Picture: Alison Wynd

Geelong is adamant Harry Taylor will prove his doubters wrong next year, with the key defender determined to win another flag in what could be his last season of footy.

Assistant coach Matthew Scarlett said Taylor, 32, was over the injury problems that ravaged his 2018 season, having posted personal-best times in pre-season testing after returning to training in elite condition.

Much like some veterans in the Geelong side of 2010 were written off as too old and too slow before rising to the 2011 flag, Scarlett is convinced Taylor is capable of a similar upswing as he enters the twilight of his decorated career.

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“Harry has come back in great order,” Scarlett said.

“Last year he had a couple of niggles coming back and that sort of lingered on throughout the year and he didn’t quite get his body in great shape.

“But it’s just amazing how well he presents himself when he came back. Players had their six or eight weeks off and he came back getting PBs in all of his testing.

Harry Taylor is hungry for more success. Picture: Alison Wynd

“It goes to show how much he wants to improve and how much he wants to win another flag — we just need every player with that mindset.”

Having swung between the back and forward lines in recent years, Taylor will settle in defence next year in a likely fullback/centre-half back combo with Mark Blicavs.

Taylor battled complex foot injuries this year — first a chronic plantar fascia problem, then a torn tendon in the same foot — leading to questions about whether he would be forced into a premature retirement.

Having averaged 23 games a season over his first 10 years at the Cats, Taylor played only eight games in 2018.

In a candid moment mid-season, he conceded he was prepared to step away if the club believed he had no more to give.

Taylor has played at both ends of the ground in recent years. Pic: Getty Images

But as he enters the final year of his contract, the Cats believe Taylor can replicate his past All-Australian form.

“Harry Taylor has come back in great shape, he wants to win another premiership,” Scarlett said.

“I know Joel Selwood does as well, Tom Hawkins, those guys are highly motivated to improve and they need to.

“Everybody reads the papers and they’ve heard the commentary around whether he’s got a spot in the team or not.

“He’s a really proud player. He’s a really good leader at our club. I’m convinced he’s going to have a great year.”

Originally published as Geelong defender Harry Taylor in career-best condition as Cats veteran eyes another flag