There was something special about watching James Podsiadly at the peak of his powers.
Selected at the age of 28 in 2009, the J-Pod immediately had a huge impact at Geelong and became something of a cult hero in a team that had won two premierships in three years.
In fact, his impact was so big that in his first season of AFL football, the mature-aged recruit polled 13 votes and finished in a tie for 16th in the Brownlow Medal, kicking a five-goal haul on six different occasions.
It was a remarkable campaign but his time at Geelong would get even better the following year, setting a number of career-highs with a 52-goal season en route to becoming a premiership player with the Cats in 2011.
One particular outing in Round 17 proved to be a pivotal moment in Podsiadly's career, as he tore apart Brisbane at the Gabba to help Geelong solidify their spot in the top two on the ladder.
Geelong looked unstoppable at the beginning of 2011, remaining undefeated through their opening 13 games of the season and sitting two wins clear on top of the AFL ladder.
The first loss did not come until Round 15 in a thrilling clash with Essendon, but the Cats then headed west and fell to the Eagles a week later which saw Collingwood surpass them on top of the pile.
From one side of the country to the other, Geelong headed to the Gabba in Round 17 to take on Brisbane, a little bit of pressure starting to mount after suffering back-to-back defeats.
They were also facing a Lions outfit that had just three wins from 15 games and sat in 15th on the ladder, so expectations were high as the Cats looked to respond.
But the heat was on early and the Lions were making a statement, as they piled on 10 scoring shots in the first term to take an eight point lead into quarter time.
Podsiadly was the shining light for the Cats as he kicked all three of their goals in the opening stanza, but there was certainly work to be done after the first break.
Both teams were finding avenues to goal early in the second quarter, but the Lions continued to keep their noses in front and extended their lead out to 14 points at the 20-minute mark.
But Geelong were finally able to wrestle back the ascendancy, kicking three unanswered goals to push their way back in front heading into half time.
Not satisfied with his three goals in the first term, Podsiadly added two more majors in the second period to take his tally to five in the opening half.
Neither side was able to break away in the third quarter, with the lead changing hands six times in 20 minutes before Brisbane started to pull away with three unanswered goals, holding a 12 point lead late in the term.
Taylor Hunt struck back for the Cats in between some wasted opportunities, pulling them back within three points heading into the final break and setting the stage for a big finish.
While Podsiadly had been the big threat in the first half, it was Tom Hawkins who got the ball rolling in the fourth term as he kicked two goals in two minutes, helping to snatch the lead back for the Cats.
Ash McGrath pulled the Lions back within a kick at the 10-minute mark, but then the game swung back into the hands of the J-Pod and he did not let his side down.
In a six-minute burst, Podsiadly kicked three goals along with another major from Joel Corey and after trailing at the start of the term, Geelong all of a sudden had a 30 point lead at the 17-minute mark.
Travis Varcoe would add another for good measure, as the Cats staved off Brisbane's strong challenge and clinched a vital victory on their journey towards September.
Podsiadly was the hero finishing with a career-high eight goals and three Brownlow votes, while Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood were also pivotal.
2011 Round 17 – Brisbane v Geelong
BRISBANE 4.6 8.8 13.11 15.14 (104)
GEELONG 3.4 9.4 13.8 20.13 (133)
GOALS: Podsiadly 8, Hawkins 3, Christensen, Corey 2, Bartel, T.Hunt, Johnson, Stokes, Varcoe 1
DISPOSALS: Bartel 32, Corey 27, Christensen, Stokes 25, Enright, Ling, Selwood 23
BROWNLOW VOTES: James Podsiadly (3), Jimmy Bartel (2), Joel Selwood (1)
CROWD: 19,906 @ The Gabba
GEELONG STARTING 22
3. Jimmy Bartel
4. Andrew Mackie
5. Travis Varcoe
7. Harry Taylor
8. Josh Hunt
9. James Kelly
11. Joel Corey
12. Trent West
13. Tom Lonergan
14. Joel Selwood
19. Taylor Hunt
20. Steve Johnson
26. Tom Hawkins
27. Mathew Stokes
28. Allen Christensen
31. James Podsiadly
32. Steven Motlop
34. Simon Hogan
35. Paul Chapman
36. Nathan Vardy
44. Corey Enright
45. Cameron Ling
