Jimmy Bartel says it will be "pretty strange" lining up against former teammates James Kelly and Mathew Stokes when the Cats take on Essendon at the MCG on Saturday.

"I'm still finding it weird watching Essendon games and watching them run around in Essendon colours," Bartel said at the launch of AFL Barwon's all girls Auskick centre in Geelong on Tuesday evening.

"But they're actually playing some really good football, those two.

"Everyone who knows them well, like all of us guys who played a lot of years with them, knew they'd play well because they're super-professional and they would have prepared really well, even though they had a short preparation period this year.

"We're just happy they're playing good footy."

Bartel was reasonably happy with the way the Cats played at Simonds Stadium on Sunday evening when they defeated the Brisbane Lions by 69 points.

"We were still a little bit inconsistent in patches, but I think you've got to give Brisbane some credit," he said. "They played some good footy, they really took the game on.

"We're not at our best at the moment, but hopefully we're building towards it."

Now Bartel is focussing on Saturday's Powercor Country Program match against the Bombers, and he won't be taking the boys in red and black lightly.

"We're wary of everyone," he said. "Every side's got good players in them, and they're entitled to play well at times, too.

"So you've got to respect everyone.

"We've already seen in the first three rounds that if you're off by five percent you get beaten.

"That's probably why there's only a couple of undefeated sides."