They say that form is temporary, but class is permanent and if there was ever a real-life case study for that notion, you need only to look at Shaun Mannagh's 2026 season. 

Such is the high standard and quality of the Cats star, he averaged nearly 18 disposals and well over a goal per game across his first two seasons at the top level, while playing the very difficult small forward role in Geelong's high octane offence. 

Nearly every player in the competition rides the ebbs and flows of an AFL season at one point or another and Mannagh experienced that, well held by Hawthorn and West Coast in back to back weeks, but his response was swift and epic. 

After a strong return to form against the Bulldogs, Mannagh went on to kick seven goals in Geelong's wins over North Melbourne and Collingwood, before piecing together his extraordinary 30-disposal and five-goal outing at the Gabba last Thursday. 

Geelong is fortunate to have a wealth of experience and a plethora of players who have experienced everything that professional football can throw at an individual, so Mannagh did not have to go far to find sound advice on how to bounce back. 

"A lot of teammates and other staff as well, but Tom Stewart was big," Mannagh said during his press conference on Monday. 

"I sat down with him for a coffee and spoke about life really, other than footy because footy is just a byproduct of what we do on the weekend.

"Life is more important, so to enjoy the little things and that can reflect on game day."

With 12 goals in the last three weeks, no player in the competition has kicked more goals than Mannagh over that span. 

But returning home this week, the crafty Cat will need to bring his best again as Geelong prepare for another monumental challenge. 

This week's opponent will be the ladder-leading Sydney Swans, who visit GMHBA Stadium on a seven-game winning streak. 

"I think we touched on it before, how good they are," Mannagh said. 

"They have got stars across every line, you can see the way they have changed the game this year in terms of that forward handball.

"Their dash off half back too, it is good to watch when it gets going. Early on in the year against Carlton, they kicked 12 goals in a quarter.

"They are a dangerous opposition, but I think we will come ready to combat that and give us our fair share."

Mannagh has only faced Sydney once in his AFL journey so far, but it certainly proved to be a successful outing as he polled just the second Brownlow vote of his career. 

In the penultimate week of the 2025 regular season, the Cats travelled to the SCG and prevailed by 43 points after a tightly contested opening half, all but securing a top two spot heading to September. 

Classy in congestion, Mannagh collected 19 disposals and kicked three goals, while also laying seven tackles and winning four clearances in yet another phenomenal performance. 

But this week will be a different proposition as the Swans visit Kardinia Park to take on the Cats for just the second time since 2020, but Mannagh said he and the team are looking forward to the occasion and can not wait to see a packed out GMHBA Stadium. 

"We are bloody lucky that we get a lot of primetime games, but being that bit older and playing a lot of local footy in my time, I like that afternoon time slot," Mannagh said.

"It is pretty good, the kids can come and watch and you usually do fill out the stadium.

"It is a family friendly time slot, then we get to represent our Indigenous boys again in Sir Doug Nicholls Round. We get our boots this week as well, which we have worked really closely with Indigenous artists around the local area.

"You will see most of the boys wearing them this week, so hopefully we can pack it out and bring as much attention to it as we can."