![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1ecd3a876adb7de8d96940cb7ea548dcc28f9be6.png\")
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September 10, 2026 \u2014 3:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Geelong\u2019s Jack Henry and Fremantle\u2019s Patrick Voss are polar opposites.<\/p>\n Calm versus fiery, consistent versus unpredictable: they are the archetypal key defender and key forward.<\/p>\n About the only time the cool Cat gets demonstrative on a football field is when his hair needs to be pushed back from his eye line. If Henry took a kick-in, he\u2019d probably still kick from inside the goal square.<\/p>\n By contrast, Voss is a strutting stirrer who adopted the nickname the \u201cPrancing Pony\u201d<\/a> after repeatedly celebrating goals like a stallion released into a paddock. The Turvey Park boy who boarded at Wesley College and then found his way to the Dockers via Essendon is a classic footballing provocateur.<\/p>\n When the two teams met in round 15, the pair played on each other and broke even in the Dockers\u2019 nine-point win.<\/p>\n They may play on each other again in the semi-final unless Voss \u2013 who sadly played more like the prancing phony in the qualifying final against Hawthorn<\/a> \u2013 becomes the agitator responsible for playing on Cats rebounder Tom Stewart.<\/p>\n Henry wasn\u2019t sure on Monday which of the Dockers\u2019 big three forwards \u2013 Voss, Jye Amiss or Josh Treacy \u2013 would be his opponent, but the prospect lining up on fire starter Voss didn\u2019t worry him.<\/p>\n A wry smile appeared on the unflappable defender\u2019s face as he imagined the prospect.<\/p>\n \u201cHe goes about it differently to the way I do, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Henry said.<\/p>\n In the qualifying final, Voss\u2019 opponent James Sicily destroyed him to be best on ground. Voss had just 11 touches, took one mark and kicked one behind, and admitted during the week the nerves got the better of him. He also copped a verbal blast post-siren<\/a> from the tempestuous Sicily<\/a>.<\/p>\n This Cat will watch the positioning Sicily used to quell Voss\u2019 influence, but he won\u2019t be poking the bear if matched up for a return bout.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to go about my own business and I find if I don\u2019t say much, then they generally don\u2019t,\u201d Henry said.<\/p>\n Henry trod the well-worn path from St Joseph\u2019s to Geelong as a rookie forward in 2017. But in one-on-one duels with then veteran defender Tom Lonergan at training, it became clear forward craft wasn\u2019t instinctive to the local lad who had excelled in athletics before concentrating on footy.<\/p>\n His personality fitted that of a no-frills defender who is competitive and can handle pressure. He was thrown back and excelled, finishing runner-up in the 2021 best and fairest, and his aerial skills are still underrated when the best key defenders are mentioned.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n He has now performed well in 20 finals including the 2022 premiership, and is a popular figure around the club, having grown up just one block from Kardinia Park.<\/p>\n At times this season, however, his humility and willingness to do whatever the team needs has seen the Cats use him as Mr Fixit, positioning him inside the forward 50 to compete in the air.<\/p>\n Related Article But in that forward role, Mr Fixit displayed all the handyman skills of your average journalist.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a backman to be honest,\u201d Henry said.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like my best footy is back, and I see the game best there. I\u2019ve had a few moments forward, and it is a bit of fun, but yeah \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not only his emotional control that makes Henry an excellent defender, able to withstand the stress that naturally falls on defenders. He emerged as a player within a supportive group who ensure that the impact that mistakes which lead to goals can have on individuals is reduced.<\/p>\n Related Article It\u2019s an important part of the culture which has evolved at the Cats, as teammates keep each other accountable by sharing the burden. Such an outlook has helped other key defenders Connor O\u2019Sullivan and Sam De Koning ply their trade deep in defence soon after leaving their teens.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think of the team. If a forward is kicking goals it is not necessarily on one person so if you take the mindset of \u2018it\u2019s all together\u2019. We don\u2019t pass judgment on others,\u201d Henry said. \u201cIt is a hard task so we do the best [we can] to help each other. That is comforting, that makes it easier.\u201d<\/p>\n Easier, but not easy.<\/p>\n That\u2019s never the way finals are won. Henry knows that. He has played in 11 victories in September.<\/p>\n Voss is yet to experience a win in his first two cracks. But he said this week he is in a good headspace as he, Treacy and Amiss \u2013 a trio Henry described as the most dangerous in the game \u2013 vow to make amends.<\/p>\n It means the battle between the fire starter and the douser will be worth watching if it eventuates.<\/p>\n Without changing expression at all, Henry voiced his final thoughts ahead of the cut-throat semi-final. \u201cI\u2019m excited\u201d.<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Calm](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/e580a2aae06407000194df8164bee77158ff9a9d.jpeg\")
Calm and consistent in the heat of battle: Geelong defender Jack Henry.Jason South<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/9bed7c386d006ee11ab787588854d76eac1dbd99.jpeg\")
The \u201cPrancing Pony\u201d in full flight: Patrick Voss of the Dockers celebrates a goal.AFL Photos<\/p>\n![\"Hawthorn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/8f95676fe11f5ea49c7849a763b317b65c8af19c.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Port](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/427bc808d722e08f2670284f49a3650f29290d5a.jpeg\")
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