Zach Guthrie’s story of persistence and resilience reached a new milestone on Saturday, when the reliable defender brought up his 100th AFL game against West Coast.
Guthrie was as strong as ever against the Eagles, collecting 24 disposals at 96% efficiency and taking 10 marks to help the Cats cruise to a 93 point win.
The young defender has become a staple of the Geelong defensive unit in recent years, playing 67 games across the past three seasons.
Guthrie said he has trusted the process along the journey, recognising the support from the people closest to him as he has developed his career.
“It is a nice little milestone to get to,” Guthrie told Cats Media post game.
“It has taken a little bit longer, there has been a few ups and downs along the way but I have tried to control the processes of getting better, improving my body and my skill level.
“That is something I really enjoy, the day to day process of seeing improvement and the last few seasons to play a little bit more consistently has been nice.
“There has been so much support from teammates, coaches, family and everyone along the way and I am really grateful.”
The win secured the Cats a spot in the top four heading into September, locking in a double chance for the 14th time in the last 18 seasons.
Depending on results over the remaining games in the final round, Geelong can still finish as high as second but will enter the Finals Series with momentum after Saturday’s performance.
Guthrie said it is exciting to be back competing at the pointy end of the season, with another chance to have a crack at a Premiership.
“It is really exciting, I am super pumped to be back in the Finals and I am really looking forward to what is ahead,” Guthrie said.
“Everyone throughout the season have had their ups and downs, so it is looking like being a really open competition.
“It is all about playing your best footy at the right time.
“We are optimistic that if we get our game going, that we can have some success but there are plenty of other teams trying to do the same.
“That is the challenge for all of us.”
