WHEN Harry Taylor went to the bench in round one against Melbourne, and in the process joined key pillar Lachie Henderson on the sidelines, Cats fans could be excused for thinking the worst.

With the two cornerstones of the Geelong defence facing indefinite stints on the sidelines, the Cats would have to adapt quickly down back.

And adapt quickly they have.

Fast forward to the end of round seven and something quite unexpected has occurred – the Cats rank fourth in the league for points against.

The modern game of team defence and forward-half territory battles means not all the credit can be attributed straight to the back six, but the makeshift Cats’ defence has held strong when required.

The performance of Jack Henry on Friday night against the Giants was case in point.

‘Jumpin Jack’ pulled in 11 marks and five intercepts as he patrolled the defensive 50, showing experience that belies his six games of AFL experience.

Henry was composed with ball in hand and teamed-up with Tom Stewart to blunt the Giants’ deep balls into the 50.

Stewart took 12 marks of his own and launched five rebound 50s as he continued to play at an extremely high level.

Jed Bews and Jake Kolodjashnij have continued to build on their consistency after strong 2017 seasons, while Mark Blicavs has thrived when given a lock-down role inside defensive 50.  

With Taylor on the mend and potentially ready to make a return to football this weekend, the Cats can only say they’ve grown stronger in his absence.

With more tools to work with and versatility down back, Geelong will be in a favourable position when the grind of the season begins to take its toll.