GEELONG draftee Jarrad Jansen has set his sights on emulating the deeds of former Cats star Paul Chapman after being handed the three-time premiership player's old No. 35 guernsey.
Jansen, a powerfully built midfielder from Western Australia, was not short on confidence when he showed off his new kit at Simonds Stadium on Tuesday.
"Certainly some big shoes to fill, but I think I'm up to it," he said.
"I consider myself to be pretty hard at it and team-oriented, so I'll go into this year and see if I can start filling his shoes."
Jansen is not only following in the footsteps of Chapman - who joined Essendon during the player exchange period - but also 1963 premiership player Billy Goggin, who wore No. 35 in 248 games for the Cats between 1958 and 1971.
"I was a bit overwhelmed just to be picked up to start with, but to be wearing No. 35 is a great honour," he said.
The Cats have handed their first-round draft pick, midfielder Darcy Lang, the No. 11 jumper previously worn by Joel Corey, who retired last month after notching up 276 games over 14 seasons.
"It's very special," Lang said. "It's a massive honour to take over from Joel Corey – a three-time premiership player.
Geelong's other draftee, Tasmanian youngster Jake Kolodjashnij, has been given the No. 8 guernsey previously worn by two-time premiership player Josh Hunt.
Kolodjashnij, whose twin brother Kade was drafted by Gold Coast, has spent his first couple of days at the Cattery coming to terms with his new life as an AFL player.
"It's slowing starting to sink in now, having a few trainings under the belt," he said.
"I'm enjoying every single moment of it, and I'm sure Kade is too."
As with his fellow draftees, Kolodjashnij is aiming to play at least one senior game next year.
"That would be the goal, but I still feel like I've got a lot improving to do," he said.
"I'll continue to work on my fitness and skills and learn the Geelong way of playing footy."
The Cats have announced a couple of other number changes for next season, with midfielder Jesse Stringer moving from No. 41 to Trent West's old No. 12.
Elevated rookie George Burbury is moving from No. 43 to No. 31.
The three players Geelong selects in Wednesday's NAB AFL Rookie Draft will wear numbers 41, 42 and 43.
