the first time in a game since 2003 in Round 11 against Port Adelaide. During that year, at just 25 years of age, Houlihan already achieved his 150th game, becoming the third youngest Carlton player to reach that milestone, having been a regular member of Carlton teams since the age of 18 and to that point had rarely missed games due to injury. 2008 Houlihan had however been battling a hip problem for four years, which worsened after playing the first three games of 2008 and required surgery. A long recovery and rehab kept him out until the final two matches, but he made a spectacular return, kicking three classy goals in his first game back. 2009 Houlihan played 20 games in 2009, at both ends of the ground, as Carlton returned to the finals for the first time in eight years, although it only lasted one game. He kicked 13 goals for the year – his best since 2003 – equal sixth at the club. He averaged 20 disposals per game (around the same as his last full season, 2007) – eighth at the club. Houlihan showed a lot of improvement in the defensive side of his game. He improved his tackling numbers to a career-high 2.6 per game. He also improved his contested possessions and hardball-gets to career high levels, averaging 6 and 3 per game respectively and had as many as 14 contested possessions in the Round 16 game against Sydney. His best game of the year was probably the Elimination Final – in which he was judged second best player in Best and Fairest voting. He was one of just two players who had previously played in a final for Carlton the last time they made the finals in 2001 and took it upon himself to help prepare his younger teammates. He had 25 possessions (equal second highest), 10 of which were contested (equal highest), 5 clearances (second highest) and 3 tackles- one of which stopped a likely Brisbane goal. He scored an important early goal after smothering the ball, demonstrating the improved defensive side to his game to complement his well-known skill. Houlihan had a solid year in 2009, finishing 11th in the club's Best and Fairest, missing the top 10 by just one vote. Houlihan was one of a number of Carlton players involved in off field incidents following Carlton players' 2009 Christmas party