How… much have things have changed at the ruck position?

There were times last season where the Cats were crying out for a ruck to stand up and grab the position by the scruff of the neck. Fast forward to 2019 and all four Cats ruckmen have a legitimate claim to a spot in the side. Rhys Stanley, Ryan Abbott, Darcy Fort and Zac Smith have all now played and acquitted themselves well at the top level.

Who… is in better form that Tom Hawkins at the moment?

Placed first in goal assists and second in goals, Tom Hawkins is quietly putting together yet another remarkable year as the Cats focal point in attack. Hawkins has now kicked four consecutive bags of four goals and looked nearly unbeatable in one-on-one contests for the last month of football.

What… should the club make of its recent form?

It’s been an interesting month of football from our Cats, with four wins over North Melbourne, the Bulldogs, Gold Coast and Sydney coming at an average margin of 29 points. All four opponents sit outside the top eight and the Cats have been challenged in each encounter but have flicked the switch when it mattered. It’s a consistent level of performance that has set up Geelong’s season, but the Cats will need to find another level to get the job done when the whips are cracking come September.

When… Mitch Duncan has the football near goal – put it in the book.

Another week, another long-range effort from one of the classiest users in the business. Mitch Duncan’s rich vein of goalkicking form continued into Round 11, with the silky Cat now boasting 10 goals from his last five matches. Duncan’s average of 1.09 goals per game this season, is higher than any previous effort across his 10-year career.

Where… did Gryan Miers learn his tricks?

When Sydney jumped out of the blocks with the fist 15 points of the game, it fell to some Gryan Miers craft to right the ship. The Cats are beginning to be able to rely on Miers to dip into his bag of tricks once or twice a game to find a goal. There are some things you can’t teach in football and Gryan has them in spades.