Cats defender Lachie Henderson says he’s come to expect change in the backline as the Cats head into the 2018 season minus two veterans.

Speaking to Krock Football at the GMHBA Lorne Pier to Pub, Henderson said despite the loss of Tom Lonergan and Andrew Mackie the backline group was excited for its new look.

“It’s exciting and a bit sad at the same time losing Mack and Domsy,” Henderson said.

“Everyone knows they've been great players and great people for the footy club.

“It’s a new dynamic, but it’s an interesting one. When you’ve done it as long as Harry and I have done it, you’re used to changing it up and seeing new faces.

“It’ll be fun and exciting.”

Henderson said there was plenty of reason for optimism in 2018 with numerous players cementing their roles in defence.

“Everyone knows that the backline is a team within the team,” Henderson said.

“We’ve got ‘Reggie’ (Zach Tuohy) that had an amazing year, and ‘Stewy’ (Tom Stewart) in his first year, and ‘Bewsy’ is just going from level to level.

“And you’ve got Zach Guthrie, you’ve got ‘Kola’ (Jake Kolodjashnij) floating around there, Jackson Thurlow … anyone that can roll back is great for us.”

And whilst Henderson would have preferred his third pre-season with the club to be a bit smoother following minor surgery on his knee, he is still confident of playing in the JLT Series.

“It’s was just one of those things, it wasn’t behaving like we wanted it to so we went back and had another look at it.”

“It’s a lot of strengthening,” he said. “I’ve been carrying it for a little while, so you lose a bit of muscle in there.

“I’ve just got to build it back up and do all the things I need to do strengthen around that, while trying to stay fit through cross-training and things like that.

The Cats will kick off their 2018 campaign in the AFLX tournament in Adelaide on February 15.