The fairytale rise of Geelong defender Lawson Humphries has continued with the young West Australian now just two wins away from being an AFL premiership player.
Playing in just his 10th AFL game, Humphries was a key contributor to the Cats' 84-point demolition of Port Adelaide last Thursday night at Adelaide Oval.
The Nyul Nyul, Oomiday and Worrora man gathered 20 disposals and registered 486 metres gained, placing him in the top-five players on the ground for the statistical category.
It has provided yet another chapter in the story of his meteoric rise from WAFL reserves player to Geelong star in the space of under a year.
The 21-year-old told Geelong Media post-match that he noticed the step up in intensity that comes with finals football at the elite level.
"Early on it was hot – all guns blazing," Humphries said.
"It was really tough, especially on the legs, but we had a week off in between (Round 24) and that makes it a lot easier.
"But it was really hot, really intense, hard tackles … it's what they say finals are about so it was really good."
After being taken with selection 63 in last year's AFL National Draft, Humphries has been a revelation for Geelong having averaged 17 disposals per game since making his debut for the club against Essendon in Round 16.
The silky-smooth defender was also rewarded with an AFL Rising Star nomination after Round 18.
The 2023 Swan Districts reserves best-and-fairest winner has slotted into Geelong's defensive unit seamlessly and his exquisite ball-use has become a feature of his game.
"As a backline group we're gelling really well at the moment," he said.
"We've played a lot of games together now and we have a lot of experience – I think five of the seven played in the premiership a couple of years ago."
The Cats earned a home preliminary final in a fortnight's time after annihilating the Power 20.18 (138) to 7.12 (54) last Thursday night.
Yet despite clearly being satisfied with his team's performance against the Power, Humphries is refusing to look too far ahead into the future.
"We had a really good game as a group, we really gelled and everything felt like it came together," he said.
"Obviously it's not going to happen every week, but I thought we played a really good game.
"It's pretty special to be out there playing really good footy."
Humphries described the feeling after last Thursday's semi-final win as a 'surreal' experience.
"Coming off the ground to a massive ovation from all the fans that have either made the trip or are (based) in Adelaide was probably one of the most special things, he said.
"It's unreal, we're just so lucky to have such a strong fanbase."
