Off the field Geelong looks forward to ex-teammate reunions, however, on the field it’s business as usual no matter who the opponent is.

Saturday night the Cats are likely to come head-to-head with former teammate Josh Hunt when they take on the Giants at Skoda Stadium.

Although Jimmy Bartel admits it will be peculiar not to see Hunt in the blue and white hoops after playing next to him for over a decade, he will put his friendship aside in turn for a convincing victory.

“Playing against Josh Hunt will be pretty strange this year after spending over 10-years playing football with him, you build up such a good friendship and I think lining up against him will be weird at first,” Bartel told Cats TV during Josh Hunt’s Tribute.

“… but hopefully we can make it a hard day for him, where he still goes well but the Cats win.”

This year the Cats have already met James Podsiadly, Gary Ablett and Paul Chapman on the opposing side and Steve Johnson doesn’t expect his meeting against Hunt to be any different.

From 2001 to 2013 Hunt played 198 games for the Cats and contributed in both premierships in 2007 and 2011.

Johnson truly respects his former comrades but when the siren sounds he has learned to compete against them like any other opponent.   

“You’ve got a lot of respect for them as teammates and obviously you form good friendships with players you spend such a long time playing with, but when it comes to the game they’re going to see us as the opposition and Josh will be no different,” Johnson explained.

“And at the end of the game hopefully catch up and say g-day.”

Ahead of round 18, young gun Cameron Guthrie is already thinking tactics and hopes to curb Hunt’s impact in Saturday’s interstate battle.

“He’s a very solid defender and uses the ball really well,” Guthrie said.

“I think we’ll have to play a defensive forward on him at times if he gets off the leash and starts using his really penetrating left foot.

“We wish him all the best at Greater Western Sydney but hopefully when we come up against him we get the win.”

Corey Enright, who debuted the same year as Hunt in 2001, is also well aware of what his former defence partner is capable off when his left foot makes contact with the ball.   

“Hope he doesn’t get the ball in his hands and uses that damaging left foot too often,” Enright said.

Click on the video above to catch Cats TV's Josh Hunt Tribute.