There will forever be quirks in the AFL fixture. 

In the midst of a long and gruelling home-and-away season, every team will get a look at one another but with the 23-round schedule, there are also a handful of teams that will meet twice within the year. 

It is a prospect that Geelong will be facing coming off a dominant victory at the Gabba last week, with the Cats to host Brisbane in just seven weeks at GMHBA Stadium, setting the stage for another blockbuster battle in Round 17. 

Cameron Ling and Zach Tuohy were both familiar with the concept and faced similar circumstances throughout their playing careers, igniting conversation about what plans the Cats might deploy during their next meeting with the Lions. 

Reminiscing on his final year with the Cats, Ling said that he and the club were in the same situation heading into September during their famous 2011 season, with plenty of discussion involving how closely they keep their cards to their chest. 

"I would be tempted not to," Ling said when asked whether Geelong should show their hand. 

"I am going way back to my time in 2011, we played Collingwood in the last game of the season knowing that we would play them at some stage in the Finals. Whether it would be the Grand Final, but we thought we would definitely play each other because we were the two best teams, it turned out to be the 'Granny.'

"Our plan going into that last round was that Chris Scott said to me, we are going to send you to Dane Swan but in the Finals game, you are going to play on Luke Ball because we want to stop it at the source.

"My job on 'Swanny' and everything we did that night actually went so well, that Scotty then came to me and said I reckon in the 'Granny,' we are just going back to you on Swanny because it worked really well and let's do it again.

"It worked, they saw it work and thought ooh, hang on, we can use it again."

It certainly proved to be a successful plan, as the Cats rolled to a thumping victory in the final round of the 2011 regular season, before taking Collingwood down in the decider to secure their third premiership in five years. 

The debate was sparked following last Thursday's victory over the Lions, particularly with Chris Scott unveiling some intriguing plans to help keep some of the opposition's star players accountable. 

Oisin Mullin was sent to Lachie Neale and helped quell his influence, but Jack Henry was also shifted forward to keep an eye on Harris Andrews, holding the brilliant defender to just five intercept possessions for the night. 

Zach Tuohy contributed to the discussion and wondered what the Cats might do in Round 17, keeping in mind the fact that Finals football will follow shortly after the clash between last year's Grand Finalists. 

"Do you reckon you could try a plan B or C?" Tuohy asked. 

"There are five games between now and then in Round 17, do you reckon you could try a plan that you probably don't think you will use but if it works, then all of a sudden you have a couple of options?

"Do you then try someone else, like we flirted with the idea of putting this guy here but we weren't sure? I know these are all ifs, buts and maybes, but I find this stuff fascinating.

"Especially when it comes to the best teams in the league and the best coaches, because I don't think I am giving too many trade secrets away by saying that teams like Geelong, Brisbane and Sydney, they are more interested in the last six weeks of the season than they are the next seven or eight.

"Not that you are taking it for granted, but that is just how the best teams operate."