Geelong had high hopes for local product Lachie Henderson when they prised him away from Carlton before the start of the 2016 AFL season.
Even so, it's fair to say he's exceeded them.
The vast majority of the Geelong headlines during the 2015 trade period understandably catalogued the return from Adelaide of Patrick Dangerfield, who hails from the nearby surf coast hamlet of Moggs Creek.
But former Brisbane and Carlton key-position player Henderson is also from the Cats heartland, having played his junior football at Birregurra before attending Geelong College and coming through the Falcons' Under-18 program as a contemporary of the 2016 Brownlow medallist.
The 27-year-old Henderson will bring up the 150-game milestone in Friday night's table-topper against the Crows at the Adelaide Oval as a vital cog in the Cats' defence.
"He's been a really, really valuable player for us," said Geelong coach Chris Scott.
"He came into our system with a plan to play him mainly in defence and as part of a succession plan for some of our older defenders - Tom Lonergan in particular."
On paper, a defensive set-up including the likes of Henderson (196cm), Lonergan (197cm), Jake Kolodjashnij (193cm) and swingman Harry Taylor (195cm) seems top-heavy.
But Henderson's versatility has been a key factor in making it one of the best in the competition.
"He's a real team player," said Scott.
"The obvious parts of his game are the way he intercepts in the air and the influence he can have on tall players.
"But I think his composure and his ball use when under pressure is an under-rated part and probably also under-rated by us until he came into our system as well."
Geelong's plethora of tall defenders will be extra valuable on Friday night against a potent Adelaide attack including the likes of marking targets Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch and Mitch McGovern.
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