Aaron Black has made a positive first-up impression as Geelong continue their long search for an effective key-forward partner for spearhead Tom Hawkins.
The former Kangaroo took seven marks, had 21 disposals and kicked a couple of goals in the unbeaten Cats' 19.12 (126) to 13.10 (88) victory over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Hawkins did not hit the scoreboard until late in the match, while the plan to convert champion defender Harry Taylor into a marking target inside the forward 50m arc remains very much a work in progress.
Since the now-retired James Podsiadly was traded to Adelaide at the end of the 2013 campaign, a host of players including departed trio Josh Walker, Shane Kersten and Mitch Clark have auditioned as Hawkins' key-forward support act - and mostly come up short.
The 192cm Black - who managed 64 goals in 50 games spread over six seasons at North Melbourne - now gets his chance.
The 26-year-old Black started his first season at the Cattery in the VFL, before breaking into the senior side to take on the Saints.
"We would have liked to have got him into the team a bit earlier," said coach Chris Scott.
"He's been right on the edge and it was more a structural thing.
"It can be hard for key forwards because there just aren't many spots in the team.
"If you're a young player and you're a key forward then you want to be good because you've got to push out older players for a couple of spots, whereas the mids can pretty much play anywhere.
"He complemented our game and has been extremely diligent in trying to implement what we've been coaching.
"It was good to see him get his chance and take it as well."
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