Matthew Scarlett says Harry Taylor has “turned himself into one of the great defenders of the modern era”.
Taylor celebrates his 200-game milestone when the Cats take on Richmond at the MCG on Sunday, and Scarlett is not surprised in the slightest that Taylor has enjoyed such a great career so far.
“He’s an amazing one-on-one defender and interceptor,” Scarlett told Cats Media. “He makes those around him better players.
“Harry’s a brilliant player and still going as well as ever. He’s almost the complete defender.”
WATCH: Highlights of Harry Taylor's first 199 games
Scarlett and Taylor played alongside each other between 2008 and 2012, sharing Grand Final wins in 2009 and 2011.
“We were really lucky to get him after Matty Egan went down with his foot injury in 2007,” Scarlett said.
“We lost ‘Ego’, which was sad for him, but we gained a great player in Harry.
“Harry has turned himself into a star through workrate and elite habits, like his training standards and lifestyle.
“Harry’s preparation for games is as good as anyone I’ve ever seen, so when it gets to game-day he’s ready.
“He knows that he’s ticked all the boxes.”
These days Scarlett is the Cats’ backline coach, and he has come to develop an even greater respect for the way Taylor provides leadership both on and off the field.
“You could see his leadership skills from the moment he first got here,” Scarlett said.
“He conducted himself as though he was a senior player right from day one.
“He listened to everything we had to say, he wanted to learn.
“He’s a great role-model for everyone, particularly the young key defenders. He really takes them under his wing.
“He’s a really caring bloke.”
Taylor is renowned at the Cattery for being a quirky bloke, and Scarlett enjoys the different outlook on life that the 30-year-old brings to the club.
“You sort of knew straight away that he was his own man,” Scarlett recalled.
“He’d go home and put the moccasins on and have a cognac while reading about the wars.
“But we love that about him. We don’t want everyone to be the same.”
