Overall mark: A+
Win-loss: 10-1 WWWWWWWWLWW
Ladder position: Second
Leading possession winner: Joel Corey – 312 possessions
Leading goalkicker: Steve Johnson – 25 goals

Season so far
After all Geelong achieved in 2007 it seems Mark Thompson’s men are almost on a hiding to nothing this year. The football world simply expects them to go all the way again this season.

So after setting the bar so high, the Cats have responded in magnificent fashion.

To be 10-1 after 11 rounds (remember, at this stage last year Geelong was 8-3) is a superb effort. Each week they go out they are chased, tackled and harassed more than any other team, yet they have managed to find a way to win all but once.

Eyebrows were raised after the severity of the round-nine belting by Collingwood, but one can excuse a team simply having a bad night at the office.

News that Matthew Egan, after missing last year’s finals series, would miss the entire season hurt everyone at the club. But that has opened the doors for others.

Youngsters such as Ryan Gamble, Harry Taylor, Shane Mumford and Trent West have all shone at times and played their part in getting the Cats into a strong position to finish in the top four.

And Geelong, which only recently regained ruckman Brad Ottens after a long-term foot injury, hasn’t yet played its best footy.

That, in itself, is a huge positive and perhaps a scary thought for rivals.

Best win
This is a tough one. Does one choose the Cats’ best four-quarter effort or perhaps their most inspiring, gritty win?

For flair and lovers of Geelong’s high-scoring, free-flowing best then look no further than the premiers’ round-two demolition of Essendon. The Cats turned it on – particularly in the second term – to smash the Bombers by 99 points.

However, showing they weren’t merely frontrunners, Geelong also proved they could come from behind against Fremantle in round six. The Cats trailed by 39 points at one stage in the second term at Subiaco and then by four goals at three-quarter time before clawing their way back to win a thriller.

B&F leader
Despite Jimmy Bartel taking home footy’s highest individual honour last season, Gary Ablett took out the club championship, the Carji Greeves Medal. The little master would be leading the count again at the half-way mark of the season.

He would have his challengers, most notably from ever-reliable defender Matthew Scarlett and ball magnet Joel Corey, but Ablett has stepped up another gear in 2008.

Put simply, the Cats wouldn’t be 10-1 this season without his influence in a couple of matches, such has been his brilliance. The Brownlow Medal favourite after 11 rounds, he has been the Cats’ best in a number of their wins.

Surprise packet
The rate at which key defender Harry Taylor has progressed must surely have thrilled all at Skilled Stadium, despite whatever lofty expectations recruiting manager Stephen Wells may have had when selecting him with the Cats’ first pick last November in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft.

Taylor had played 49 senior WAFL matches before arriving at Geelong but he’s quickly settled into AFL footy, showing poise beyond a first-year player.

With Egan missing from the word go this season, Taylor was always going to be a vital piece in assisting Geelong’s back six. His ability to stand up as the year goes on will becomes even more important.

Missing in action
The Cats of 2007 have only shown themselves on a few occasions this season.

Coach Mark Thompson has spoken of how AFL footy has changed, while his team has also had to get used to being the hunted week in, week out.

One thing is certain – weekly blow-outs appear gone. While this Geelong team still kicks plenty of goals and its defence is still among the stingiest in the competition, the trademark fast starts of last year have been few and far between, with the Cats often having to rely on bursts of brilliance to get the job done.

Coach's award (one-percenter player)
Every team in the competition would love a Max Rooke. Geelong coach Mark Thompson is fortunate he has one.

Rooke hasn’t played every match this year but his hardness at the ball and the opposition has been missed when he has been absent. He has a presence on the field, and seems to make his teammates walk taller. Among the fiercest tacklers in the game, the man who was sent to Germany last year in a bid to cure a hamstring injury has again made his defensive part of his game a feature. With Rooke in the vicinity, every opponent is kept on his toes.

Second-half story lines
Will the Cats’ backline continue to stand up, especially in coming weeks with Matthew Scarlett likely to be missing?

How long will it take Brad Ottens to get back to his best – and will he be able to do so this year after missing so much footy in the first half of the season?

Can Gary Ablett maintain his amazing run of form?

Are the Cats just as hungry this season as they were in 2007? Or, with the monkey off the back, will they be an irrepressible force come September?

The run home:
Round 12 – Port Adelaide at Skilled Stadium
Round 13 – West Coast at Subiaco
Round 14 – Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
Round 15 – Fremantle at Skilled Stadium
Round 16 – Western Bulldogs at Skilled Stadium
Round 17 – Hawthorn at the MCG
Round 18 – Richmond at Telstra Dome
Round 19 – Melbourne at the MCG
Round 20 – Sydney at ANZ Stadium
Round 21 – North Melbourne at Skilled Stadium
Round 22 – West Coast at Skilled Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL.