Welcome to the first edition of 'Time Cat-sule', where we will regularly cast our mind back to some of the club's key historical moments, beginning with a look back to Round 1, 2011.

Chris Scott would coach his first game after taking over from Mark Thompson, and at the time there was no bigger challenge than taking on a dominant Saints outfit that had been unlucky not to have tasted premiership success in 2009 and 2010. 

This Cat’s team of champions was still a formidable threat, with names like Scarlett, Corey, Bartel, Enright, Mooney, and Milburn still featuring heavily, But it was the start of a new era for the Cats with Mitch Duncan, Daniel Menzel, and a debutant Cam Guthrie, lining up for the first time.

A goalless first quarter was compounded by a shocking injury to young star Joel Selwood, who was knocked out after a clash with Farren Ray, and a shot on goal after the first quarter siren from Harry Taylor didn’t inspire much confidence going into the break. 

The Saints' mature list and experienced heads were turning the screws on the Cats, before a crafty crumb and dribble goal at the start of the second quarter from Mitch Duncan got things started for Geelong. 

However, it wouldn’t be until the 7 minute mark of the 3rd quarter that they'd strike again, with back to back goals from Joel Corey and David Wojcinski keeping the Cats in it before a brilliant one handed mark and goal from Duncan again brought the margin within 2 points. 

The game was crying out for a bit of magic and who else was to answer the call than Jimmy Bartel, who kicked a miraculous snap goal that bounced through on the line, much to the delight of Bruce McAvaney “...Bartel clever! Brilliant! Unbelievable actually!” 

The Saints, however, would strike back with goals to Ben McEvoy and a rampaging Lenny Hayes putting them in front with four minutes to play. 

With captain Cameron Ling, nervously watching on from the stands, the Cats threw everything at Ross Lyon’s outfit trying to drag themselves over the line. Before a defining play unfolded, one that would go down in history of the great battles between the two clubs during the 2000s. 

A Corey Enright intercept mark got the ball back to Geelong, before ending up in Mitch Duncan’s hands, who took up all available space before measuring a kick inside 50. Jimmy Bartel produced another miraculous feat, somehow taking two Saints defenders to ground without infringing the marking contest, with Cam Mooney swooping on the bouncing ball deep in Geelong's forward zone... enter the super sub. 

Darren Milburn, who’d been subbed into the game in the second quarter for the injured Selwood, found his way to an almost empty goal square and was able to finish and send the Cats into the lead by a point, which was to be the final margin. And Chris Scott's first game was won, in a tenacious fashion that Cat’s fans would come to see for years, and begin Geelong’s new era. 

With Round 1 of 2024 upon us, could we see another Cats classic?