Bottom 16 reviewed: Cats silence critics amid looming trade coup; truth Port can’t ignore……READ MORE….

What went right

While the Cats fell agonisingly short of a grand final, this is some club. A year after Geelong missed the top eight as reigning premier, it bounced back to flag contention in another coaching masterclass from Chris Scott where the club continued to silence critics. It importantly came with a transition of the list as the likes of Ollie Dempsey, Shannon Neale, Lawson Humphries and Shaun Mannagh emerged with greater opportunities, while veteran trio Tom Hawkins, Cam Guthrie and Zach Tuohy all finished the season outside the senior team.

Plus a relatively shallow and unproven midfield — outside of Patrick Dangerfield — featuring the likes of Tanner Bruhn, Tom Atkins and Jack Bowes with Rhys Stanley still rucking turned out to be a strength in the part of the ground there was most concerns going into the season.

Overall, it was a year the team evolved and prioritised development, yet got better and nearly made a grand final, in a big win and promising signs for the long-term direction of this perennially successful club. Jeremy Cameron did Jeremy Cameron things, leading a forward line still as potent and damaging as any in the competition, while Max Holmes was arguably their most improved player and will just about takes out their best and fairest in an All-Australian calibre season.

An 84-point qualifying final win over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval was a clear highlight, while the Cats were the last remaining Victorian side standing during preliminary final weekend — the club’s 13th prelim appearance in the last 18 seasons. Scott is simply a genius.