Playing alongside some of the best defenders in one of the strongest backlines in the competition, Zach Guthrie has worked hard to earn a permanent spot in the Geelong team.

Guthrie has become one of the most reliable players for Geelong, being one of just five players to feature in every game this year after playing just 20-games across his first four seasons with the Cats.

The 25 year old produced another strong performance against North Melbourne on Sunday, collecting 21-disposals and laying four-tackles across half-back.

Guthrie spoke to K rock Football following the win, touching on the mindset that has helped him progress his game over the past few seasons.

"I just want to keep developing as a player, I want to be someone the team can rely on and try to keep improving my game,” he said.  

“I think if you become content and don’t strive to improve things in your game to get your strengths up to a level where you can really help the team, there will be players that go past you.

"I'm really hungry to keep playing some good footy for the team and keep contributing to help us get some wins." 

Guthrie became a more permanent fixture for the Geelong backline last year, playing 21-games across the 2022 season including all three of the Cats’ finals. 

Geelong has rolled out a handful of different line-ups in their defensive unit this year, giving a number of new faces some valuable AFL-experience like Esava Ratugolea and Oisin Mullin. 

Guthrie commented on the way the Cats have been able to adjust to the different looks down back this year, leaning more on their tactics rather than the personnel they have on field. 

"We still try to play to our system week in and week out,” Guthrie said. 

“There is a lot of depth so if we have different guys rolling through there, it's only going to be healthy for us. 

"I think Esava has some really good footy to play and is really important for us, De Koning played really well today and it's good to have Jack Henry back rolling through there. 

"I think we have a number of options, which is good for us." 

Guthrie and the Cats backline put together another solid performance against North Melbourne, holding the Kangaroos to just nine-goals in the 62-point win. 

Sunday’s clash was the fifth time this season the Cats have held their opposition to ten-goals or less, with their defensive prowess set to be a big factor in Geelong’s 2023 finals push. 

Guthrie said the Cats defence was strong against North Melbourne, but it was a team effort that got the job done. 

“I think across the whole ground we were really solid,” Guthrie said. 

Through our backline we have a lot of depth, so it's good to see a lot of guys rolling through and playing some good footy.

I think Tyson ended up kicking five, he was really good up forward. Our midfielders were really brutal early and I thought they set up the game for us."