Sydney coach Paul Roos has lauded Geelong following the Cats 67 point demolition of the Swans on Sunday.
Roos, who led Sydney to the 2005 flag, said that on Sunday’s shoing Geelong was still the benchmark team in the AFL.
"Their best is a fair bit ahead of anyone else's," Roos said.
"That doesn't always mean they're going to be premiership favourites or whatever, there's still a long way to go.
"But I think Geelong's best is still a bit ahead of anyone else's best."
The Cats still have Joel Corey, Max Rooke, Mathew Stokes and Brad Ottens missing from their ‘best 22’, and have now won 26 consecutive home games, a league record.
Geelong continued its winning ways at home against Sydney. The Swans last success at Skilled Stadium came in 1999, the year before Mark Thompson took over as Geelong coach.