Is Geelong the guy that never leaves the party?

You know that guy who eats all the Castello cheese at your party, and even after everyone has gone home is still hanging around offering to 'help clean up?' 

That’s the Geelong Football Club.

They’re always there. Always in it.

Like the great Frank Costanza said, ‘We’re gonna be in the pool. We’re gonna be in the clubhouse. We’re gonna be all over that shuffleboard court.’

If you’ll indulge me a further Seinfeld reference the Cats are this guy:

Seinfeld's 'The Sidler' just keeps popping up everywhere!

They either annoy the hell out of you or you find them incredibly endearing.

Either way, Geelong is the best football team this sport has seen over the last 15 years.

MATCH PAGE: North Melbourne v Geelong

In fact, it wouldn’t be a crazy stretch to posit that in a world of drafts and salary caps as well as apparent league equalisation, these Cats of the 'modern era' should be considered as among the very best of all time. They are also the first team to reach 300 wins since 2000. 

On a weekend where the always brilliant Hawks appeared as vulnerable and uninspired as we’ve seen in years, and, just as the Swans took possession of last place on the AFL ladder, it was the Cats who reminded us that their's is the house where the light is always on.

The Cats' start to 2019 has been as surprising as it’s been scintillating.

'Festivus for the Cats amongst us,' some may say.

For as good as Geelong have been in the regular season the past few years, they’ve faltered badly when it comes to September, winning just three of the 12 AFL Finals they’ve contested since their 2011 AFL Premiership.

Their last two exits at the hands of Adelaide and Melbourne have been particularly demoralising, with the Cats cobbling together final scores of just 46 and 75 points, winning just one quarter in the process.

And it’s been these September belly flops that have caused such distrust regarding Geelong’s chances of parlaying their regular season wins into post-season glory, so much so that they were actually considered an even money proposition to even make the finals in 2019.

Yet here we are, a third of the way through and this Cats team has looked as dominant and well-rounded as they’ve been in years. They’ve emerged not only as the competition leader and Premiership favourite, but look to possess none of the warts that seem to bring them undone most Septembers.

They’re the only one-loss team remaining in the league through seven games, while boasting the competition’s best defense (just 65 ppg conceded) as well as the leagues second best attack (96.4 ppg scored). 

Only the Magpies have taken more marks inside 50, while the Cats are the AFL's best in terms of metres gained differential at +440.

Of the dozen teams who have started this well over the last 24 seasons, all have found themselves in at least a Preliminary Final, while eight made the Grand Final. 

Five were ultimately crowned AFL Premiers.  

This blistering Cats' start simply can’t be dismissed.

These Cats are the embodiment of relevance. A club who genuinely has no idea what 'bottoming out' means, and who feels that every season presents another genuine premiership opportunity.

For some, Geelong’s omnipresence is a blight on the competition and a roadblock to the kind of competitive variance the AFL loves to preach and promote.

For others, the Cats are the epitome of an ironclad structure where competence reigns supreme.

Whichever road you take, just know that they’re always there and probably always will be.

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