Geelong forward Brad Close has rarely been the loudest voice in the room or the biggest name on the team sheet, but heading into the Cats' elimination final against Carlton on Friday night, his quiet influence has become impossible to ignore. After a mid-season stint in the VFL to rediscover his form, Close has returned to help Geelong reel off six consecutive victories — and he is doing it all with one eye firmly on a second premiership medal.

A hole-in-one and a wedding on the horizon

The season has been a study in contrasts for the 25-year-old. Back in February, after a modest practice match showing against Carlton, Close headed to 13th Beach for a round of golf feeling flat. He left a different man — having recorded his first ever hole-in-one on the 12th tee and walking away with $10,000 in prize money as part of a charity event at the course.

"I thought I was going to go to my grave without a hole-in-one — I wasn't even thinking about the money at the time," Close said. "It was just awesome to get a hole-in-one and then a little bonus that will help pay for the wedding."

That wedding to Grace is set for October in southern Tuscany, capping what has been a year of genuine peaks and valleys for the Geelong small forward.

A tough spell out, and the work to come back

The low point arrived around round 12, when Close mustered just 11 disposals in his second clash of the year against Carlton. It was enough for the coaching staff to send him to the VFL to rebuild his touch and intensity, with Close candid about what had gone wrong.

"I wasn't quite having the impact with ball in hand, and then struggling to find the footy, which isn't always my role as such," he said. "I worked a bit more on getting my body right and having a bit more speed and power out there. I lacked getting to the footy first and then was poor over ground balls, so I have worked at that."

His absence, alongside those of fellow small forwards Gryan Miers and the now-retired Tyson Stengle, coincided with Geelong dropping four of their next five matches. The correlation was hard to miss.

Close returned in round 19 alongside Miers, and the Cats have not looked back since, averaging 115.2 points per match across that six-game winning run heading into finals.

The selfless role that defines Brad Close

Inside the Cats' forward 50, Close is regarded by teammates and coaches alike as the most selfless player in the forward line. His high half-forward role demands constant running into unrewarded space, creating pockets for teammates to exploit, and applying pressure to opposition half-backs looking to rebound.

That instinct for team-first football, he says, was forged early. Close won his first premiership with North Gambier at just 16 years old, playing as a smaller contributor in a bigger side.

"I was always probably a smaller player in those sides and looked for a role I could play to help the team," he said. "I was never anything like an inside mid or a big key forward, so I just found ways I could help."

A second flag at North Gambier followed, before Close moved to Glenelg and played in the Tigers' 2019 SANFL premiership. He then claimed a Cats flag in 2022 — all before turning 25. Yet the appetite remains firmly unsatisfied.

"I don't think anyone would say one premiership is enough," Close said.

What Friday night means for Geelong

Close has been a Geelong player since kicking a goal with his first touch just 70 seconds into his debut in 2020, and the elimination final against Carlton represents his next opportunity to add to a career already decorated with silverware. Whether the Cats advance may well hinge on players like Close — lurking, running, delaying a handball to send a teammate clear — doing the small things that rarely make the highlights reel but almost always shape the result.