AFTER impressive performances against Marc Murphy and Brett Deledio in recent weeks, Geelong tagger Taylor Hunt is preparing himself for another tough assignment in Friday night's blockbuster against Essendon at Etihad Stadium.

Hunt could find himself lining up on Brownlow medallist and Bombers skipper Jobe Watson.

"He'd be a tough ask for me, Jobe," the 22-year-old told AFL.com.au.

"He's so good at stoppages, and that's an area where I need to improve to make sure I don't get pushed off the ball so much."

Hunt has already taken on some of the game's biggest names this season.

He went head-to-head with Murphy when the Cats beat Carlton at Etihad Stadium in round three.

"I did kick three goals on him, but he still had almost 30 touches on me," Hunt said.

"I think I had a good first half on him, but he definitely had my measure in the second half.

"He pretty much ran me into the ground. I was stuffed 10 minutes into the game. I knew I was in for a tough night from there."

Hunt did an even better job on Deledio when Geelong defeated Richmond by 44 points last weekend.

Although Deledio finished with 20 possessions, Hunt continually denied him space and time and also drove him into the turf with some bone-crunching tackles.


Taylor Hunt wraps up Brett Deledio during the Cats' clash with Richmond at the MCG. Picture: AFL Media

"I don't go out there to specifically annoy my opponent," Hunt said.

"I'd like to think that I'm a fair tagger and I just like doing my job for my team.

"There was a bit of niggle (with Deledio) at one point, but that's all part of the game.

"It was good fun and we shook hands after the game, so it was all good."

With his ability to stop his opponent and push forward when Geelong has the ball, Hunt has become a key member of Chris Scott's unbeaten team.

"I learned a lot from Cameron Ling about how to go about the role effectively," Hunt said.

"You've got to make the bloke you're playing on defend. Otherwise you're just running around beside them all day and they don't have to pay you any respect when your team is attacking.

"I've been lucky enough to play on some quality players this year and I've been in reasonable touch myself, so I'm really enjoying playing in a successful team and getting some good footy under my belt.

"It can be tough backing up every week, but I'm really enjoying it at the moment.

"I'm getting a lot of help from my teammates, which is making my job a lot easier."

Whether or not be goes to Watson when Geelong takes on Essendon, Hunt is up for another for another big challenge.

"Being two undefeated sides playing in Friday night football in front of a full Etihad Stadium, you couldn't script it any better," he said.

"We've got lots of young fellas who are really looking forward to stepping up in these big games, so it's going to be great."

Adam McNicol covers Geelong news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_AdamMcNicol