2016 was a year of improvement and proving your worth for Cameron Guthrie.
There was his 36 disposal-best on ground performance against Adelaide in round eight and his eventual fourth-place finish in the club best and fairest – his highest ever result.
But collectively, Guthrie’s season simply showed how far his development had come since being taken by the Cats in the first round of the 2010 draft.
The now 24-year-old puts it all down to experience and rolling up his sleeves.
“As I go through the ranks and become a more experienced player, I guess you’re just given a bit more responsibility and I’ve tried to elevate my game in any way I could,” Guthrie told Cats Media.
“I feel like I’m a pretty hard worker … and that improvement has probably come from there.”
What makes his year so much more impressive is the fact he was rarely settled in a set position for more than two or three games at a time.
With an obvious need for pace in Geelong’s back half of the ground, Guthrie was often deployed in defence throughout 2016 and it could well be more of the same for the season ahead.
“I really enjoyed that role,” he said.
“It’s hard to tell what the coaches are thinking at the moment specifically but I am spending a bit of time both midfield and in defence at training and I’m enjoying that.”
“It adds a bit of variety to my role and it’s good to be a player that can play in a number of different positions.”
2017 will be very, very different in at least one-way however; given another Guthrie has landed on the doorstep of Simonds Stadium.
Younger brother Zach made his way onto the playing list through the most recent rookie draft and Cameron admits it presents a unique but exciting opportunity for the both of them.
“You don’t really expect that to happen. The chances of having a brother at AFL level is pretty minimal,” Guthrie said.
“But to be at the same club is pretty unbelievable how it’s all worked out.”
“We’ve always got on very well and it’s nice to have him around the rooms. I feel like I can give him some encouragement and some tips here and there as well, which will hopefully develop him as a footballer.”
Watch the full interview with Cameron Guthrie via the video player above.
