Harry Taylor is expecting to come up against a very unpredictable Hawthorn forward line on Easter Monday.
Making the Hawks particularly hard to predict up forward will be the absence of four-time premiership player Jarryd Roughead, a player Taylor has often lined up on.
“Unfortunately, he’s not going to be out there,” Taylor said on Tuesday afternoon.
“I say unfortunately because he’s a great player and I love to see the best players playing.”
But Taylor doesn’t believe the absence of Roughead will make his job any easier.
In fact, he believes the Hawks’ unpredictability will make their forward line even more dangerous than before.
“Yeah, it does,” Taylor said. “A lot of their forwards go into centre bounces, some go behind the ball. It’s forever changing.
“Every goal they seem to have a different set-up up there.
“But we just need to back our system in and hope that it holds up against a really unpredictable and quality side.”
Taylor conducted Tuesday’s press conference at St John of God Hospital in Geelong.
He was there to be announced as a brand ambassador for the hospital, which has entered into a formal partnership with the Cats.
Taylor, who is close to finishing a physiotherapy degree, hopes his relationship with the hospital will provide him with some valuable experience in the healthcare field.
“As a physio, you need to do a lot of practice to get to where you need to be,” he said.
“Hopefully this new role that I’ve got will allow me to come in here a bit more regularly.”
Harry Taylor and baby Adeline at St John of God Hospital in Geelong
The hospital's chief executive, Stephen Roberts, is delighted to have Taylor onboard.
“As well as inspiring our staff and patients, we hope he will be able to learn a lot from us about his chosen professional career in physiotherapy,” Roberts said.
The Cats' chief commercial officer, Justin Reeves, has no doubt the club's alignment with the St John of God Hospital will prove beneficial for both parties.
“We are really pleased to be partnering with St John of God, a hospital who continues to give so much to the Geelong community,” Reeves said.
“In a practical sense, Harry’s studies in physiotherapy will also benefit from the partnership, which is an added bonus.”
The sponsorship provides the framework for an exciting collaborative community program between the Cats and the hospital that will be announced in coming weeks.
This is in keeping with the significant role St John of God has played in numerous social outreach activities, such as its own Horizon House Program, providing long-term supported accommodation for homeless youth.
St John of God is also involved in the award-winning Youth Engagement Program in partnership with Barwon Child, Youth & Family, supporting young people with drug and alcohol issues, and Headspace, providing dual-diagnosis mental health services to youth.
The new relationship also ensures the future of a local tradition: all babies born at St John of God Geelong Hospital will receive a Geelong Cats ‘Kitty Cat’ membership.
