And while Father Time eventually catches up with all players, Rutherglen's Josh Quick is keen to extend his career as long as possible.

The loyal Cat played his 200th match in 2019 and is enjoying a new lease of life this season after moving from a back flank to a wing.

He celebrated his 35th birthday on Wednesday but was 'Quick' to hand-up teammate Ian Kay as the oldest player on the list.

"I'm not exactly sure how old Ian is but I know he is older than me," Quick joked.

"Personally I enjoyed having 12 months off.

"But once pre-season started I realised how much I had missed not playing and seeing my teammates.

"I've been spending a lot more time on a wing this season as well as rotating through the midfield and have enjoyed the switch.

"Jarryd Hatton has slotted in across half-back and has got a bit more leg speed and a penetrating left boot which is a real weapon."

Quick revealed he has missed the past two rounds with hamstring tightness but will return against Barnawartha on the weekend.

"I tweaked my hammy on the Thursday night and have never previously had a soft-tissue injury," he said.

IN OTHER NEWS

Rookie coach Steve Owen has made a solid start at the helm, with the Cats one win outside the top-five with a 4-3 record.

The Cats stunned flag fancy Tallangatta in round five to announce themselves as a dangerous wildcard in the finals race.

Quick credited Owen with helping turnaround the Cats' fortunes after finishing seventh with a 8-10 record in 2019.

"I've been fortunate enough to have had some pretty good coaches throughout my career," he said.

"But I feel Steve is the quintessential modern day coach in that he gets a lot of player buy-in and he gets the players to drive training and game plans.

"That encourages talk from guys who are reluctant to voice their opinions.

"Previously old school coaches would be a lot more didactic in the way they would just stand and deliver their message.

"Where Steve gets the players involved a lot more."

Approaching the half-way point of the season, eight teams remain in finals contention in the tightest competition for more than a decade.

Defending premier Thurgoona, alongside Beechworth, Wahgunyah and Wodonga Saints are guaranteed to miss finals.

Quick said there had been a lot more upsets than previously highlighted by Rutherglen's win over Tallangatta and Yackandandah downing Barnawartha.

"I think most clubs haven't got the depth of previous seasons so once injuries hit, they are harder to cover and if you don't come to play you will get rolled," he said.

"We are four points outside the top-five which is probably a fair reflection of where we're at.

"I think the positive is in most of our losses we have been in winnable positions."

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