Sunday marked the Cats final home and away interstate clash for 2016 but potentially not the Cats last time playing outside of Victoria this year.

The 60-point win over the Lions gave the Cats a 4-1 interstate record this year. This was a drastic turnaround from 2015 when the Cats finished the year with a 1-4 interstate record.

There was some great wins; the 26-point win over the Crows in round nine, the thumping of the Power in round five and this weekend’s 10 goal win over the Lions. But also some scratchy performances with the unconvincing 17-point win over the Dockers and the 13 point loss to the Giants in Canberra ones to forget.

But with the Swans and Crows holding onto the top two spots on the ladder there is every chance the Cats may travel in week one of the finals.

The good news is that going by this year’s performances there is plenty of optimism when the Cats hit the road.

And then…

Whilst there is a lot of talk about the Cats not bedding a best 22 as yet the fact they have nearly 30 players all pushing for senior selection should be seen as a boon.

Not only does that kind of depth drive players on the fringe to play like it is their last game it also means that the Cats have flexibility to pick a team that matches up well to the opposition.

In 2007, the Cats side that played in the grand final had never played together prior to the day and didn’t play as that same 22 ever again.