Geelong veteran Mitch Duncan on his dash home from Adelaide to welcome newborn son Parker

But luckily, after receiving word of his pending arrival, Duncan was back by wife Demi’s side with two hours to spare before Parker’s 10pm arrival on March 22, with his latest trip to South Australia for Gather Round last weekend arguably less dramatic.

“Three kids to four kids, it’s already chaos,” Duncan said of their newest arrival.

“(Wife) Demi’s done a phenomenal job.

“He’s (Parker) ticking all the boxes he’s meant to tick, he’s sleeping well, he’s kept us up a couple times but he’s a great addition, the kids love him and so do we.”

Parker’s arrival has done little to hamper Duncan’s preparedness and contribution for the Cats, marked by his immediate return to their line-up in Round 3 against Hawthorn to reel in 26 disposals and nine marks.

He’ll return to GMHBA Stadium on Sunday having earnt AFL life membership this week, while the match, if won, could see teammate Tom Hawkins, who rung up 350 games in Round 3 and trails leading Cats game holder Joel Selwood by four, take over the all-time win record at GMHBA Stadium.

“You think the size and physical attributes Hawks has, how has he managed to play for as long as he has?... to be able to take over the win record if we’re lucky enough to win on the weekend, is quite remarkable,” Duncan said.

While accolades and milestones are the cherry on top of footballers careers – selection for Rhys Stanley this week bringing up his 200th match milestone – the immediate focus remains on Sunday’s performance.

Despite their opponent North Melbourne sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum, 0-4, it’s a game Duncan and co. won’t take lightly, with the former also standing by the belief the Cats wouldn’t make management decisions – like the possible return of captain Patrick Dangerfield from injury – based on the opponent alone.

“Every AFL game is hard and it’s only getting harder, just by the speed of the game, and the way everyone is attacking,” Duncan said.

“If you’re off defensively as a unit, it can really come back to bite you.”

Duncan recalled the Cats’ positive preparation over pre-season, despite prefacing it didn’t always guarantee results.

“We were optimistic we could be 4-0, we’ve had some close games and could be 1-3 and still working on things,” he said.

“We’ve got a great stretch of games that will challenge us.”

Duncan is right in that sense, with games against Brisbane (away) and Carlton and Melbourne (both at the MCG) to follow Sunday’s fixture.

The love seems to extend to Duncan’s Geelong teammates, including forward spearhead Jeremy Cameron’s latest performance against Western Bulldogs, his ability to work between both the forward line and midfield drawing praise.

“I’d love to see him down centre-half back,” Duncan said with a laugh.

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“He’s just one of those guys who draws the footy.

“I think you place him in any position and he’s going to have an effect on the game.”

But while the talk has been largely around Geelong’s youth and experience over pre-season – with young midfielder Tanner Bruhn’s power and toughness drawing some comparisons of a younger Dangerfield from Duncan – it was the performances of guys like Gryan Miers, Jack Bowes and Brandan Parfitt which could prove critical to the Cats’ success this year, their impact “massive” according to Duncan in the sense of the team’s current run of form.

Originally published as Geelong veteran Mitch Duncan on his dash home from Adelaide to welcome newborn son Parker