WHEN Mark Blicavs arrived at Simonds Stadium in the middle of the 2012 season, Geelong's coaches were not quite sure what to make of him.
 
He stood 198cms but weighed only 78kgs, he hadn't played footy since he was 14, and he had spent the previous months competing in athletics meetings in Europe.
 
"I guess we wondered where he would fit in the team," Cats assistant coach Dale Amos recalled. "He didn't seem quite tall enough to be a ruckman, but was he going to be big enough and strong enough to play as a key position player? Was he going to be agile enough to play as a midfielder?"
 
More questions were raised about Blicavs' prospects after played four games in Geelong's VFL team in late 2012.
 
He kicked three goals against the Casey Scorpions in his second match, but seemed out of his depth in the others and was deemed not up to playing in the VFL finals.
 
Two and a half years later, however, Blicavs has emerged as one of the club's greatest recruiting success stories. And on Saturday, when the Cats take on Richmond at the MCG, the 24-year-old will run out in his 50th AFL game.
 
"It's a remarkable story, given his background and how little footy he actually played," Amos said "It's a story he should be extremely proud of. 
 
"He should take virtually all the credit for it. His attitude and his application are the reasons he has become the player he is, and why he has been able to play 50 games in such quick time."
 
The was one player at Geelong who had an inkling of what Blicavs could become when the gangly youngster, then aged 20, was signed by Cats recruiting boss Stephen Wells as a Category B rookie (meaning he hadn't played in an Australian Rules competition at any level for at least three years).
 
Cameron Guthrie had grown up near Blicavs in Sunbury, just north of Melbourne, and it was his father, Andrew, who had alerted Wells to Blicavs' potential.
 
"My dad coached Mark in junior footy, and he was a gun back then," Guthrie said. "I think dad thought his physical traits and athletic abilities would easily transfer to a game like footy.
 
"I had similar thoughts. I had seen Mark play a bit of junior footy with my brother [afl.com.au reporter Ben Guthrie] when they were 11 or 12. Then I played a bit of basketball and did some athletics with Mark, and he was always really gifted at those things."
 
Blicavs rocked into Simonds Stadium boasting the right kind of bloodline to become an elite athlete, as both his parents had played basketball for Australia. He also had the elite running capacity that modern footy demands.
 
His greatest challenge was turning his gangly frame into a body that couple cope with the crash and bash nature of top-level football. Yet it took him just one summer of gut-busting work in the gym, during which he put on more than 10kgs.
 
At the same time, he proved to his mentors that his skills were up to scratch.
 
"His willingness to learn and work were the things that stood out, and they've certainly held him in good stead," Amos said. "He works really hard at his game, and he has since he walked in the door.
 
"He's engaged all the coaches, he's engaged a lot of the players to really try and improve himself and become a good player. I think his attitude towards that has given him a chance to play as well as he has so quickly."
 
Seemingly out of nowhere, Blicavs jumped into contention for Geelong's 2013 season opener against Hawthorn after the club's ruckmen, Trent West (knee), Nathan Vardy (groin), Hamish McIntosh (knee) and Dawson Simpson (back), were struck down by injuries. 
 
As Amos remembered, "He ended up playing, which was remarkable given where he'd come from."
 
Bicavs held his own in the ruck against the Hawks and has not looked back from there, playing in 49 of the 52 games since then.

Blicavs cops a sports drink shower after the Cats beat the Hawks in his first game (AFL Photos)

Remarkably, Blicavs has not lined up in the VFL since those four moderate performances in late 2012.
 
"His ability to run all day has certainly been one of his greatest strengths," Guthrie said. "But there's also his ability to adapt to different positions. 
 
"He's a really good learner, asks a lot of questions. He's able to learn about different roles and then he's able to implement them as well."
 
Blicavs is renowned as one of the more laidback players at Geelong. 
 
"He's quite a relaxed guy, a really outgoing guy," Guthrie, who is one of his best mates at the club, said. "We both get on really well and spend a lot of time together.
 
"He's a very funny guy. He loves taking selfies on Snapchat. I think all his teammates love to be around him."

Blicavs dressed as Ace Ventura during the Cats' 2013 end-of-season celebrations (AFL Photos)

But Blicavs, who now weighs just under 100kgs, is also among the Cats' hardest trainers, and he worked tirelessly at further improving his game over the pre-season just gone.
 
"He did a lot of contested work with Harry Taylor," Amos said. "He worked really hard on his ability to be able to compete with bigger and stronger opponents. 
 
"And then he did a lot of stoppage work, which was about staying really nimble around contested situations – being able to play as a ruckman but also as an inside midfielder."
 
Versatility remains one of Blicavs' greatest strengths. 
 
"The forward line coach wants to have him up there, I'm pretty keen to have him as a key defender and the midfield coaches like him to be in the middle," Amos said. "It's a bit of a battle to work out what role he's going to play each week."
 
Nevertheless, the midfield is where Blicavs seems most dangerous. Evidence of that came when he produced a brilliant last quarter in the Cats' narrow win over Gold Coast in round three.
 
He finished that game with 21 disposals and 12 hit-outs and also booted the goal that sealed the victory.
 
Blicavs backed up that effort by tallying 18 disposals, 14 hit-outs and seven tackles, while filling a range of roles, in the loss to North Melbourne in round four.
 
Right now, he probably in the top four in Geelong's best and fairest.
 
"He's become a very reliable part of our team," Amos said. "He just continues to get better. 
 
"Having someone come from an individual sport and be such a valuable member of the team like he has is a credit to him. It's not necessarily an easy transition but he's done it unbelievably well. He's embraced the team aspect of footy really well.
 
"He's been able to answer most of those questions we had about him already, I think."
 
Blicavs' 50th AFL appearance seems likely to be just a small milestone in a long and successful career, with many people at the club tipping him to play more than 200 games.
 
For his part, Guthrie was confident the recruiting experiment would work out, and he is rapt that it has.
 
"From a personal point of view, it's great to see him doing so well," Guthrie said. "He's become such an important part of the team."