GEELONG recruit Lachie Henderson is trying to relax about his football more than he may have in the past.

It's a change of mindset for a player who likes to put pressure on himself to perform. But the 26-year-old is learning with experience that being a hard taskmaster can sometimes be counter-productive, so he is open to finding outlets that help him maintain a positive mindset.

"The mental side of the game is huge these days, with all the pressures coming from the outside, so my mental part of the game is huge and is something I work on," Henderson told AFL.com.au.

It's all part of the gradual evolution of Henderson, who played his best game in five appearances for the Cats against Gold Coast last week after being traded from Carlton at the end of last season.

Capable at either end of the ground – he has kicked 105 goals in 122 games – the Cats have a plan to settle him down back. And he's begun to look as suited in that part of the ground as a winter jacket does hanging on a crowded coat stand.

Last week Henderson took 11 marks and used the ball well when disposing of it 25 times, with Geelong coach Chris Scott agreeing it was his best game for the season.

"One of his strengths [is] his ability to read the play and get across and mark the ball, and he did that really well last week," Scott said.

Henderson described his form in the first few games of the season as indifferent, but people inside the club were aware he would find his feet once he settled.

"It takes a little while just working out how you fit in, where you play and how you should go about things," Henderson said.

The class inside the Cats' defensive 50 has not been lost on Henderson, who says he learns every minute of every day from teammates such as Corey Enright, Andrew Mackie, Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor.

"You just watch them, the things they do and how they prepare," Henderson said.

Scott observed that the recruit had formed good partnerships on the field with Jake Kolodjashnij, Taylor and Lonergan, with the tall defenders learning how to support each other under fire.

Henderson is aware the defensive group will need to be on their game when taking on the tall timber bounding around the West Coast forward 50 on Saturday.

"It's a challenge, I probably rate Josh Kennedy as one of the best forwards in the comp and Jack Darling does his thing as well. There are names all around that forward line," Henderson said.

"It's a great challenge for us. You want to play on the best and beat the best. [I'm] looking forward to it."

After being rested for round five, a decision he admits he had to get his head around initially, Henderson enters Saturday's game with confidence he can be at his best this week.

And it might also ease the pressure for him to know his coaches are rapt with the progress he is making as he adjusts to his third AFL club, the one nearest his hometown, Birregurra.

"We've been really pleased with him," Scott said.