IN LATE 2007, not long after he began his first pre-season with Geelong, Harry Taylor sat down and compiled a list of goals that he wanted to achieve in his career.

"One of them was to play 150 games," the star defender told AFL.com.au. "So I'm glad that I'm going to tick that off."

Taylor will make his 150th appearance for the Cats in Sunday's clash with the Western Bulldogs at Simonds Stadium.

The milestone marks yet another achievement for a player who has won two premierships and has twice been selected in the All Australian team since debuting as a 21-year-old in round two, 2008.

"It's my seventh year here now, so I feel like I've been around the place for a while," Taylor said. "But the milestone does feel like it has come quite quickly.

"I'm happy to have achieved the things I have so far, but I'm certainly not content. There's plenty more goals that I want to tick off before I finish."

Taylor's ability to read the play and take contested marks in all conditions have been the hallmarks of his time at the Cattery.

Yet his durability is another factor that makes him such a valuable player. Since making his AFL debut, he has missed only 12 matches.

"I think I've probably only missed four through genuine injuries," Taylor explained. "I've been rested or managed a little bit as well.

"I've been very fortunate not to miss too many games through injuries. I'm very, very lucky compared to some guys who get hurt and it seems to hamper them from then on.

"So there's an element of luck involved, but I'm also big on the saying, 'the harder you work, the luckier you get.'

"I do a lot of rehab-type work to hopefully prevent the injuries from happening."

Taylor was recently unable to play in Geelong's game against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium after suffering a minor knee strain the week before against St Kilda.

He returned to play a role in the narrow win over Essendon but didn't impose himself on the game.

"(The knee is) feeling better now," he said. “It's not really an issue. I'm fit enough to play and fit enough to deliver."

Added Cats coach Chris Scott: "He's a lot more confident in his knee from the game. He was absolutely right to play, but until you get through that full game, I think sometimes with those knee issues you're not completely sure in yourself.

"But coming out of the game and the first couple of training sessions, he feels really confident that he'll be better this week."

Although Taylor insists his knee problem is not an ongoing issue, his form in 2014 hasn't quite been up to his usual lofty standards.
"I probably would like to be playing a bit better from an individual point of view," he said.

"I'd like to be contributing a bit more to the team than I am at the moment, as a leader and also as a senior player.

"I think I can offer a bit more from an attacking point of view, but defensively too. I think I can be a bit more ruthless in that area.

"But I'm doing the work and hopefully things will turn around pretty soon."

The highlight of Taylor's season so far was his brilliant performance in Geelong's win over Richmond in round seven.

At times, the 28-year-old seemed oblivious to the wet and windy conditions. Of the 10 contested marks that were taken during the match, Taylor grabbed half of them.

The Tigers, in contrast, took just two contested marks between them.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was moved to describe Taylor's contribution to the Cats' victory as "just extraordinary".

But he hasn't been able to consistently reach such highs.

And one key element missing from his game is goal-scoring. Taylor booted 15 goals in 2012 and another 15 last year, but he is yet to register a major this season.

"I think I probably got away with getting forward a bit last year," he said. "Teams sort of let me go, but it's not the case anymore.

"As soon as I take off, there's usually one or two guys ready to round me up, which is part of what good teams do."

Nevertheless, Taylor remains one of Geelong's most valuable and respected players.

"He's our vice-captain, he's extremely influential off the field," Scott said. "In my view, and I'm unashamedly biased, he's the best key defender in the competition."

On Sunday, prior to taking on the Dogs, Taylor will briefly contemplate his effort in making it to 150 games. Then it will be down to business.

"I won't approach the match any differently to my 148th or my 149th or hopefully my 151st," he said. "It'll be the same attitude.

"It's just nice to achieve one of my goals along the way."