On Saturday the juggernaut continued with an 11-goal beating of North Melbourne, a win that broke the record for most consecutive wins at one venue, surpassing Richmond at the Punt Road Oval (1932-35) and South Melbourne at the Lake Oval (1934-36).
Not since Port Adelaide stole the points with a late goal in the second last round of 2007 have the Cats been beaten on their own patch of dirt.
The better the Cats have become, the more imposing they have become at home, but off-field factors have also contributed to what has become the most imposing home-ground advantage held by any side for several decades.
As this most recent period of dominance (2006-2011) has gained momentum, the Cats have become a massive crowd favourite, meaning the Cats have been too popular to be drawn to play their home games against the other Victorian clubs with big supporter bases at Geelong.
Mick Malthouse has never coached the Magpies in a game at Geelong, with Collingwood's last game there in 1999. Carlton hasn't played there since 1997, while Essendon hasn't ventured down the highway since 1993. Even visits by Hawthorn and St Kilda are fast becoming distant memories. Hawthorn last played there in 2006, while St Kilda's most recent visit was 2004.
The Cats usually play seven or eight games a year down at their true home ground and with the aforementioned sides pretty much ruled out of travelling down the highway, there remains a pool of about 11 sides from whom eight are drawn to travel to Geelong each year. You can pretty well ink in the non-Victorian sides, with the others drawn from those with the smaller supporter bases.
So the Cats have the best of both worlds whenever they wear the dark blue shorts as the home team. At Skilled Stadium, they have more than 90 per cent of the fans on their side (even more if the opponent is from outside Victoria) and usually, a battling opponent who can't come to grips with the long, but narrow playing area and the tricky wind patterns that only the Geelong key forwards - with all week to practise and prepare - seem to be able to master.
It was interesting to note that it is usually only the interstate teams who take the opportunity to train on Skilled Stadium the day before a game.
Melbourne tried it last year (and lost by nine goals) but the idea floated by former Geelong captain (and Brisbane Lions player) Andrew Bews on the weekend that visiting teams from Victoria should treat a game at Geelong as they would an interstate trip, has some merit.
However, that idea was all but scoffed at by Kangaroos' senior assistant Darren Crocker, who told Triple M that the North men don't seek to train at the venue when they travel interstate.
Distance is no issue, as many Geelong players live in or about Melbourne - and many St Kilda players are now travelling from inner city Melbourne to Seaford for daily training sessions, a similar trip.
On current form, it is hard to see the Cats losing at Skilled Stadium this year. Their five remaining games there are against the Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney.
At their best, the Bulldogs would have a shot, but they're currently well below that level. Forget the Crows, the Demons and the Suns (although the Gary Ablett factor will make it interesting viewing).
The clash with Sydney is two weeks out from the finals and forecasting that far ahead is not for this column.
FOOTNOTE: It's always difficult to compare records, but Geelong's record has been an easy target to criticise, given the fact that true rivals are kept away because of the club's drawing power, as noted above.
However, a close look at Richmond's effort, shows that in the Tigers sequence of wins, only four of their 24 straight were against finals competitors (Carlton and Geelong in 1933, and South Melbourne and Collingwood in 1934). Richmond played in three Grand Finals in that era for two wins.
The Swans were another story: in their streak, they played against six finals competitors, one in 1934, three out of three in 1935, and two of three in 1936. They played in three Grand Finals for three losses, after having been declared unbeatable after a dominant win in the 1933 decider - they were, but only at the Lake Oval.
CLUB BY CLUB
COLLINGWOOD: Bye
GEELONG: Forget the 'one week at a time' spin out of Geelong. This is the game the Cats have been building towards all year. Collingwood's forward press brought them undone in the preliminary final thrashing last year and how they deal with it this time around will determine who wins the game.
ESSENDON: The Bombers of last year would have caved in when facing an early deficit as the new mob did against Eagles on Sunday. This year they turned it around for an emphatic win. Get on Jobe Watson for the Brownlow this year before the odds get too short.
CARLTON: Great clutch goal from Andrew Walker. Trade week 2010 seems so long ago.
HAWTHORN: Had the Pies or the Cats beaten Port by five goals at AAMI, the spin would have been about them 'taking care of business', or 'doing what good sides do' blah, blah, blah. Despite the prevailing negativity, the Hawks are 4-2 with considerable upside. This time last year it was 1-5.
FREMANTLE: Two more chances to prove itself on the MCG this year, Hawthorn in round 11 and Melbourne a fortnight later. Freo has a 9/25 losing record at the MCG since joining the AFL in 1995, with a current losing streak of eight. One of several headaches now confronting coach Mark Harvey.
SYDNEY SWANS: Always hard to beat when Adam Goodes, Ryan O'Keefe and Jarrad McVeigh are in their top three. Big fortnight at the SCG to come with Port, then Hawthorn. The Swans need to win both.
MELBOURNE: When was the last time Melbourne had a percentage pushing 120 nearly a third of the way through the season? Try 2004, with a percentage of 137 after six rounds.
RICHMOND: Genuinely good in the midfield and up forward. The backline is a work in progress, but the same can be said for several better credentialed sides. Beat the Dogs this week and the 'F' word comes into play. Colleague (and long-suffering Tiger fan) Paul Daffey's piece about the excitement surrounding the Tigers, written here on Saturday night makes for great reading.
WEST COAST EAGLES: Hard to believe given how dominant the Eagles once were, that they have lost seven straight derbys to Fremantle. Well placed to end that streak on Sunday, but we learned long ago never to be confident about home-town clashes.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Just don't score enough goals and now Rodney Eade needs to think about how drastically to recast his side. Who will follow Brian Lake to the VFL?
ADELAIDE: We're used to honest efforts from the Crows, if nothing else, but the 16-goal loss to Melbourne on Sunday was well below that. The midfield, whose development last year was the cause for so much optimism, has retreated badly this year.
GOLD COAST: Brilliant win over the Lions. Unlike the mob up the road, they came out in the opening term and played with a conviction to match their big statements from earlier in the week. So exciting to watch when they're up and about.
ST KILDA: It is a source of great mirth to many St Kilda-bashers that the Saints currently sit below Gold Coast on the ladder. But with the effort and intensity shown against the Blues on Monday night, it won't be the case for much longer.
NORTH MELBOURNE: As the year rolls on, Brad Scott will be easier to tell apart than his twin brother. The grey hair and the furrowed brow will be the dead-set giveaway.
PORT ADELAIDE: Were always going to give the Hawks a hard time given the sort of week they had endured, and could have been in a position to win it if not for some unfortunate umpiring decisions and some early ill-discipline that gifted the Hawks a couple of goals.
BRISBANE LIONS: Can't think of many darker days for the club. Spent the week gobbing off then failed to win any hard balls for the first part of the match. Simon Black, once again, was the honorary exception.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nathan Krakouer (Gold Coast): The former Port Adelaide defender was exhibit A for those who argue that the Suns botched their free agency recruiting from other clubs. But perhaps, just perhaps, the public scrutiny of his worthiness struck a nerve with him because he was electric on Saturday night with five goals and a huge mark against the Lions. That's what you will get with Krakouer - a few quiet weeks, followed by the type of performance that leaves you scratching for superlatives.
TWITTERATI
“Boys are doing a good job against Kangas! Really different perspective watching it from coaches box! Looks like much more space from up there.” - Geelong skipper Cameron Ling (@CameronLing) now tweeting from inside the coaches box.
“No time for celebrations..... Boys straight in the ice baths. So proud of how hard everyone worked tonight - Gold Coast skipper Gary Ablett (@GaryAblettJnr) on the win over the Lions. No gloating required.
“Good result for mothers day, great effort turn around an ordinary first quarter, home for a shower then dinner for mothers day.” - Essendon's Jobe Watson (@JobeWatson) after another good day at the office.
THE ONE GAME NOT TO MISS NEXT WEEK
Geelong v Collingwood, Friday night at the MCG. Grand Final preview? Maybe. But a sign of how far the Cats have come under Chris Scott? Absolutely.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
You can follow Ashley Browne on Twitter at twitter.com/hashbrowne
