GEELONG recruit Lachie Henderson will enter next season with a point to prove after battling through a disappointing 2015 campaign with Carlton.
The 25-year-old pulled on a Cats jumper for the first time on Tuesday morning, and he was quick to acknowledge that his final year at Blues did not pan out as he wanted.
“I look back on it now and I’ve learned a lot of lessons this year,” Henderson said during his press conference at Simonds Stadium.
“It was a tough year for myself and the club and I probably didn’t really play how I should have this year.
“So I’ve learnt some lessons and there definitely is a point to prove.
“But I’m really looking forward to the future and what it holds.
“I think the playing group down here’s got some really good things to give in the near future.”
Henderson was at a Broadway show in New York when he found out that Geelong and Carlton had agreed on a trade deal.
“I actually walked into the Book of Mormon in New York when it all went down,” he said.
“I walked out and looked at my phone and it went nuts. So that was when I found out.
“I looked at my phone and thought, ‘Okay, yep, I’m a Geelong player now,’ which was nice.”
Henderson grew up 60kms south-west of Simonds Stadium, in the little town of Birregurra, so joining Geelong is a bit like returning home.
“Mum and dad are down here, and I’ve still got a lot of friends down here as well,” he said.
“I always envisaged coming back here at some point. It’s just sort of happened a bit quicker than I thought it would.
“So I’m very happy to be home, closer to mum and dad.”
Henderson came through the ranks of the Birregurra footy club, before graduating to the Geelong Falcons TAC Cup team.
In 2007, he played at the Falcons alongside fellow Cats recruit Patrick Dangerfield.
In the ’07 national draft, Henderson was selected by the Brisbane Lions with pick eight, while Dangerfield was chosen by the Crows with pick 10.
“We had a good year together down at the Falcons, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since,” Henderson said
“We’re pretty good mates and our families are pretty close too, so it’s be good to play with him.”
One of Henderson’s great strengths is his versatility, but at Geelong he is expected to slot into a regular position as a key defender, supporting the likes of Tom Lonergan, Harry Taylor and Jake Kolodjashnij.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do before we actually lock it down, and I suspect that Lachie will still play at both ends of the ground a little bit,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said.
“But in the long-term, we see Lachie has a defender who can go forward, rather than the other way.”
