Elliot Yeo was in the vicinity on the MCG’s southern wing when Liam Ryan took his stunning grab that led to the match-winning goal in the 2018 premiership win.

Yeo was also metres away from Ryan the very next season, when he flew over the back of Max Gawn in Optus Stadium’s western goalsquare to snare the 2019 Mark of the Year.

The Eagles veteran has seen countless leaps, launches and hangers from Ryan across almost a decade, with rivals and teammates alike becoming stepladders for his high-flying antics.

So what’s on Yeo’s mind as he prepares to face his former West Coast teammate for the first time in rival colours in Sunday’s clash against St Kilda?

“Just don’t take a hanger on me,” Yeo said on 96FM.

“I don’t want to be on your footy card, please.

“He’s an absolute freak, still. He’s a good player.”

Yeo said it would be “good fun” to have “a bit of chatter” with Ryan for the much-anticipated clash, with the Saints forward the fifth member of West Coast’s 2018 premiership unit to go up against his old side.

The Eagles enter that match as significant underdogs off the back of three consecutive defeats, though Yeo’s return from injury provided one of the largest positives of last weekend’s western derby loss.

Yeo kicked a goal among his 21 touches and seven tackles, but most importantly got through without any problems with the adductor issue that sidelined him for two matches.

“It got a workout on the weekend,” Yeo said.

“I slipped and had to stretch… I gave it a good test. But I’m good.”

Yeo lamented his team’s inability to show polish in the front half amid a string of seven straight behinds before he provided his team’s breakthrough major.

“Then there would have been a bit more scoreboard pressure, and then you feed into the fact that we would have maybe been close, or up, and then that gives a young team as well a bit of confidence,” he said.

“Frustrating. Very frustrating. There were elements of our game that were really, really good, but there were elements that were really, really bad.”