Not many would understand the ebbs and flows of an AFL season like Zach Tuohy, with the premiership defender providing some fascinating insight following Geelong's loss to Port Adelaide.
Off the back of a dominant performance against the Western Bulldogs in Round 6, few predicted that the Cats would struggle on the road a week later but the Power were able to dictate proceedings, Geelong struggling to get the game on their terms and slipping to a disappointing 30-point defeat.
It is proof that no two weeks are ever the same in this highly competitive league, but it also provides a sense of hope and optimism heading into another important clash with North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.
Tuohy said that drawing on his own experience during his tenure at Geelong, there will only be one or two minor issues that the Cats will need to fix this week in order to respond strongly against the Kangaroos.
"Typically, especially with this coaching group, I would be willing to put my house on the fact that there will only be one or two things that need addressing," Tuohy said.
"The game gets away from you and it feels like there are players out everywhere, it is like well where do you even start?
"Sometimes it can feel like that as a player. We had a game up in Darwin against Gold Coast a couple of years ago, I remember they beat the brakes off us. I don't know what the margin was at the end and I was playing that game.
"Leaving the game, I actually couldn't really tell you what it was that we did wrong, it kind of felt a bit like everything. We addressed it during the week and I think it might have been secondary spills and secondary contests, that was the only thing we trained.
"Every negative edit we saw from the game came from that one thing. It is typically not as big as it sometimes looks when you are watching, but it can be hard to address it in real time."
Geelong remain in a competitive position on the cusp of the top eight, winning four of their opening seven games with a stretch of important matches upcoming.
It starts with a big clash against a fast-improving North Melbourne team on Saturday, who have also claimed four wins in the early portion of the season and sit narrowly above the Cats on the ladder.
Boasting an impressive line-up that includes the likes of Harry Sheezel, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Tristan Xerri, Geelong will need to bring their A-game in order to secure the four points in Round 8.
Of course, there will need to be improvements from last week's performance, but Tuohy said it is not uncommon for the Cats as they search for a winning formula heading into the important parts of the home and away season.
"I am kind of okay, personally, treating this a bit how I treated the Gold Coast game, which is just early season rust," Tuohy said.
"A little bit on brand, maybe it's a little harsh, but we don't typically peak at this time.
"But I think I said after that Gold Coast game that it would depend on what comes the next week, how I view it.
"Maybe I am just withholding judgement just at the moment."
