With Geelong having a bye next weekend, Cats players and coaches will get some time off this week before facing St Kilda in round 13.

Following the Cats win over Essendon, players spent Sunday at Auskick centres around Geelong, and the squad met on Monday to review the Bombers game. Then Mark Thompson sent them away for a few days R & R.

So it’s an appropriate time to look back on the first 12 weeks of the 2010 campaign.

Biggest surprise
Can it be anything other than James Podsiadly? Ten years after first being drafted, Podsiadly finally made his AFL debut in round three against Freo. In eight games he has booted 29 goals, including a league best five bags of five goals, and he leads the competition in contested marks. Podsiadly has played himself into All Australian calculations as a first year 28 year old!

Under the radar
James Kelly would be acknowledged as a star of the competition if he played for any other club. But Kelly blends into the plethora of stars at Skilled Stadium, and his efforts often are missed. He plays in the midfield, back and forward and never misses a beat regardless of the role the team needs him to play. Enjoying his best season, Kelly may finally get the outside recognition he deserves.

Best game
Hard to go past the second round win over Hawthorn. As has often happened against the hawks, Geelong fell behind early before rallying to win by nine points. Cameron Mooney booted four goals as the Cats came from four goals down at half time to win.

Issues
Just one word - injuries. The Cats have endured a season worth of injuries in the first half of the season, but the squad has shown strength to remain on top of the ladder.

Cats depth
In the premiership years of 2007 and 2009, Geelong used 31 and 33 players respectively. Already in 2010 Mark Thompson has had to call on 33 players, with injuries to many key players, including Matthew Scarlett, Brad Ottens, Joel Corey, Max Rooke, Tom Hawkins and Steve Motlop.

What to watch for
Mitch Brown did not make his VFL debut until midway through the season, despite being drafted in 2008, courtesy of a broken leg in the 2009 preseason. But he has returned in full flight, including a five goal haul on the weekend. He may the next debutante coming through the system.

Debuts
So far we have seen Mitch Duncan, Podsiadly, Dawson Simpson, Taylor Hunt and Motlop debut. The last time the Cats used more debutantes was 2002, when the likes of Kelly, Jimmy Bartel, Gary Ablett, Steve Johnson and Dave Johnson were first seen in Geelong colours. Watch for Brown or Daniel Menzel to be next man up.

Best player
It could be one of many. Corey Enright and Gary Ablett have continued their best & fairest form of 2009. Kelly has been a star and Bartel never puts in a poor game. But over the course of the first 12 rounds, Paul Chapman may be the best player in the entire AFL. Chapman has been a star for many years, but he still flies under the radar...but not this year. he may even join Ablett and Bartel in the Brownlow club if he can stay injury free for the rest of the year.