Gone are the likes of premiership stars Paul Chapman, Josh Hunt and Joel Corey and the quietly spoken Taylor, 27, knows what he needs to do.
"I am in the leadership group and I think that comes with the responsibility as a senior player to lead the way on the track and off the field," Taylor said on Monday.
"I am one of the more senior players now I guess, so I expect that from myself as well," he said.
"You want your stars to stay around forever, but unfortunately that can't happen; you need to learn to respect and help the young guys as much as possible so they can become better players as quickly as they can."
Hunt's departure means Taylor has a new teammate in the adjacent locker, and he has taken young Tasmanian Jake Kolodjashnij under his wing, giving him a lift to training.
"Just trying to impart a little bit of my knowledge, particularly how I first started off … the nitty gritty of playing as a defender, we'll keep educating him as time goes by."
It was a warm Monday morning training session for the Cats players in front of about 500 fans at Simonds Stadium.
The intense hit out lasted almost two hours, and the club intends to stick with its scheduled training plans despite this week's forecast heat.
"We might just put a little bit more emphasis on our recovery, our fluid intake pre- and post-raining, but I think we still need to do the work," Taylor said.
"We've got a limited time for pre-season to prepare, so you can't miss too many sessions no matter what the conditions are."
Captain Joel Selwood and freshly re-signed forward Steve Johnson were among players on lighter duties as part of their individual training programs.
Ruckman Hamish McIntosh, who is yet to play a game in Cats colours after his move from North Melbourne at the end of 2012, did take part in the session and remains on track to play in the pre-season.
Geelong hosts the opening game of the NAB Challenge against Collingwood at Simonds Stadium on Wednesday, February 12.
Twitter: @MattThompsonAFL
