Geelong young gun Max Holmes says having experienced mentors like Joel Selwood has been a major factor in the 20-year-old finding his feet in the AFL system in just his second season.

The Cats gave up their 2021 first round pick to Richmond to get their hands on the then Sandringham Dragon at the 2020 NAB AFL Draft and Cats fans can see why after he collected 18 disposals and ran the full length of the ground in dying stages of Saturday's Qualifying Final to kick the sealer.  

All in just his 29th game.

“Obviously, there are lots of blokes who can help out,” he said this week.

“Coming in at the same time as Jeremy Cameron and Isaac Smith was really good, as well as Joel obviously who is a great mentor for all of us.

“I've had plenty of different brains to tap into and different guys to learn off which has been very positive for me.”

Holmes said he battled to adapt to he pace of the game early on in his career but the combination of hard work, good mentors and an inner belief has seen him grasp his opportunities with both hands so far.

“I think I had inner belief early on but last year was difficult for me," he said.

“I was lucky enough to play games which I didn’t expect. I would have thought I'd be in VFL for two years at least. I struggled out there with the pace of things [but] I've kind of worked it out a bit this year.

“I feel a lot more comfortable with the speed of the game and my capacity to play as well.”

Holmes played in two finals in his first season, the Semi Final against the Giants and the Preliminary Final against the Demons, before looking as composed and comfortable as a veteran on the big stage in front of 91,525 fans last Saturday.

But the humble Holmes is just happy playing his role, be it on the wing or on the inside, where he played his junior football.

“As a junior I played as an inside mid more so than wing but right now I just play my role, and do what the team needs me to do.”