Harry Taylor has provided insight into what made him one of the best defenders of the modern era, opening up on what inspired him throughout his 280-game career.  

The champion defender was inducted into the Geelong Football Club Hall of Fame on Saturday, winning two premierships and two All-Australian selections during 13 seasons with the Cats.  
 
From keeping ham in his socks to eating spaghetti before games, Taylor was renowned for trying some intriguing tactics both on and off the field.  
 
Taylor spoke during the Hall of Fame dinner, touching on his mentality as a player and how he drove himself to be better every day.  

“One thing I am proud of is I tried to explore as many different ways to get better as I could,” Taylor said. 
 
“I tried things like eating spaghetti half an hour before a game, trying to watch a movie before a final and getting there right on the knocker before we started.  
 
“I really wanted to be as good a teammate as I could, which meant sometimes going outside the box and trying some different things.  
 
“It didn't always work, but I sit back now and I am proud that I tried a lot of different ways to improve. 
 
“We had a great competitive group of people, we were all trying to get better and I was really wanting to be part of that journey.  
 
“We put on the jumper, we go out there and compete as hard as we can, then we walk away from the field and we can be who we are, that is a real point of difference for this organisation.” 
 
Taylor was inducted into Geelong’s Hall of Fame on Saturday alongside Chris Scott and Travis Varcoe, while Cameron Ling was elevated to legend status.  

It was a fitting tribute to some of the all-time greats, specifically those involved in the 2007 to 2011 era that helped the Cats win three premierships in five years.  
 
Taylor opened up on the 2009 Grand Final in particular, where he played an instrumental role in the result by restricting Nick Riewoldt.  
 
“I was praying for rain for around 48 hours leading into that game,” Taylor said.  
 
“I remember it was probably the toughest game of football I have ever played in, the Grand Final itself was just relentless.  
 
“You normally find there are moments in games where the pressure might drop and you can take a breath, it didn't feel like there was any in that game.  
 
“I came to the bench at one point, just out of pure exhaustion and Andrew Mackie ran on and took Riewoldt for me for a few minutes.  
 
“It was a hell of a day, but to win the game after losing the year before was justification that I was lucky to be playing in an amazing team.”