Henry had to wait in the queue behind Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.
Duffy, in turn, got stuck behind Henry, Southee and Will O’Rourke.
The comparison was certainly not lost on Duffy.
In March, he told the Otago Daily Times he had actually had a conversation with Henry about it "over a glass of wine".
"You don’t want that to be your role. You want to be the guy starting," he said at the time, adding it was hard to stay motivated when you are "bowling to a mitt".
"It can be a little niggly at times, don’t get me wrong. But I enjoy being away on tour.
"I feel like you feed off the guys and you learn and grow together, even if you’re not playing."
Fast-forward to December and Duffy is in a much different space.
The Otago seamer is the ICC No 2-ranked T20 international bowler in the world, and he just picked up a lucrative contract in the IPL.
The 31-year-old Southlander has been in fine form in ODIs as well.
He was in dominant form against the West Indies and was named player of the series for his haul of 10 wickets at an average of 12.10. He was also named player of the series in the T20s.
The right-armer took that good form into the tests against the West Indies, where he has also a good shot of being named player of the series.
He has picked up 14 wickets at an average of 16.21 in the first two tests.
Given the year he has had, it should not come as a surprise to learn Duffy is actually the leading international wicket-taker in 2025 across the three formats.
He has 72 wickets at an average of 17.47.
His good mate and fellow wine drinker, Henry, is second in the queue with 65 wickets at 16.87.
Duffy will get an opportunity to enhance his growing reputation and further shed the journeyman tag in the third test against the West Indies beginning in Mount Maunganui today.
He will be joined by former Otago team-mate Michael Rae in the bowling lineup, while Central Districts spinner Ajaz Patel is expected to play his first home test in five years.
It has been a rapid rise, but Duffy remains grounded.
"I’m trying not to ride the wave, really," Duffy said.
"There's good times with cricket and there's bad times.
"I guess I'm lucky enough at the moment that the wickets seem to be coming, which is really nice.
"It's a good feeling, but I think part of this Black Caps environment ... keeps you grounded quite nicely.
"So I try not to ride that wave too hard, I guess."
Duffy will lead the seam attack at Bay Oval, and that in itself underlines how far he has come this year.
He has moved from the fringe to the tip of the spear.
"It’s the blind leading the blind a little bit," he joked.
That is a reference to New Zealand’s long list of injured seamers who are unavailable.
Injury has pretty much been the only way to get into the Black Caps lineup for some time now.
The competition for spots in the bowling unit has arguably never been more intense.
And when you get players like Duffy who grab their opportunities and shine on the international stage, it is a reminder of how well the domestic game has prepared players.
Third test
Mount Maunganui, starts Thursday
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Zak Foulkes, Ajaz Patel, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae, Will Young, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke.
West Indies: John Campbell, Brandon King, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Tevin Imlach, Kemar Roach, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales, Ojay Shields, Alick Athanaze, Tagernarine Chanderpaul, Johann Layne, Jomel Warrican.
