Lachlan Mackinnon looks upon Cats stars Tom Hawkins and Patrick Dangerfield as his heroes, but little does he know how much he has inspired them.

The 16-year-old spent some 24 days in intensive care with life-threatening injuries after he was hit by a car when crossing a Geelong road in early March this year.

But his ordeal could not have been the further from his mind on Thursday afternoon, when Lachlan enjoyed a kick-to-kick with his two idols on Simonds Stadium.

“My top four favourite players are Hawkins, Dangerfield, Motlop, Selwood, so now I’ve met my top four,” he said with a smile upon meeting the number 35.

The Bellarine Secondary College student has made great progress in his recovery and will show just how far he’s come on Saturday night when he tosses the coin before his much-loved Cats play the ladder-leading North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

He’s tipped the Cats by eight points and expects to be in full voice some four months on from the accident.

“I was happy when my voice came back because I usually yell at the television when I’m watching the footy,” Lachlan said.

The round 12 Geelong home game will be supporting the TAC and its road safety initiatives.

Midfielder Patrick Dangerfield has put his weight behind the Commission’s latest campaign and says meeting Lachlan shows the importance of staying safe on the road.

“We’ve got to make sure that we use his story for good and spread the word around road safety,” Dangerfield said.

“It confirms that it can happen to anyone at any time. It doesn’t matter what age.”

The Cats are standing together with the TAC in support of their goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads.