2006 record and ladder position: 10 wins, 11 losses - 10th2005 record and ladder position: 12 wins, 10 losses - 6thWhat went right: If nothing else, the very least Geelong supporters can take out of a disappointing year is the NAB Cup. Sure it's the pre-season competition, but if the Cats had lost in Adelaide you can bet it would have been written as the latest chapter in their 43-year finals tale of woe.Instead it was a victorious trip to a venue that had not been a happy hunting ground for them that gave supporters and the town in general a reason to smile.With finals seemingly off the agenda, Geelong finally got into a groove and won seven of 10 matches from round 11 onwards to make a late charge at September. Although ultimately unsuccessful in their bid, the Cats did well to shake off the lethargy that gripped them throughout April and May and put it together on the field.What went wrong: The mystery of how the Cats' season went so horribly wrong after promising so much is the subject of an ongoing investigation being undertaken by chief executive Brian Cook. It's safe to say he's not going to like a fair bit of what he sees when he puts this season under the microscope.After the pain of last year's agonising last-minute exit from the finals and with the playing group they had, it was widely thought the Cats would be there or thereabouts in 2006. Maybe that was part of the problem. After winning the NAB Cup and pounding its first two opponents into oblivion, Geelong was lauded as the premier-in-waiting. Could it be that the players read a little too much of their own good press?Whatever the reason for their downfall it was swift and brutal. Seven losses from eight matches after round two shattered self-belief within the group, fitness guru Loris Bertolacci was shown the door and constant rumour and innuendo dogged the club. Coach Mark Thompson spent the last weeks of the campaign fielding questions about his relationship with his players and his tenure as coach, while Cam Mooney sat out the last two matches as he served a league-record fourth suspension in one season. Add to that a shocking injury that saw Tom Lonergan lose a kidney after bravely backing into a marking contest against Melbourne and you've got a year that everyone involved with the club will be keen to see disappearing in the rear-view mirror.Most improved players: Jarad Rooke's willingness to work hard all day firmly established him as an integral part of the Geelong side. He took on some of the toughest jobs in football this season and gave a good account of himself more often than not - his efforts in keeping Bulldog young gun Adam Cooney to just 14 touches in round 16 one example of his progress. Paul Chapman is another who elevated his game to another level this season with the small forward showing he has the tools to make it in the midfield, averaging 22 possessions a game in a stellar year that should put him right in the running for the club's best and fairest.Most disappointing players: There will be a few Cats who will be keen to improve on the performances they've put in this season. No one can doubt Cameron Ling's dedication to the cause, but too many times he appeared indecisive carrying the ball this year, looking to hand off to a passing teammate instead of hitting a target upfield. For the first time in his career he averaged more handballs than kicks during a season where his lack of pace seemed more evident than in years past. Kent Kingsley bagged nine and eight-goal hauls either side of a four-week injury layoff at the start of the season and the club's four-time leading goalkicker looked set for a career-best year. But the wheels fell off for the 27-year-old who managed just two goals in eight games following his eight-goal effort in round two. Having played all 24 matches and signed a new three-year contract in an outstanding 2005 season, big things were expected of James Kelly entering his fifth year in the AFL. The 22-year-old has undoubted talent, but he largely failed to deliver in a season that saw him twice dropped to the VFL due to lack of form.Rising Star: Geelong didn't receive any NAB Rising Star nominations this year, but looks to have uncovered a couple of gems in Brent Prismall and Mathew Stokes, who both debuted for the club. In his eight games, Prismall showed promising poise and clean disposal, while Stokes displayed a keen work ethic, fierce attack on the ball and good goal sense in his nine matches for the Cats.Best win: Sydney lost just one of its last eight home-and-away season games and it was to Geelong at Skilled Stadium in round 20. While there was a lot to like about the Cats' play that day, the one-point win over the Dogs a month earlier probably gets the nod. Geelong's sheer bloody-mindedness and determination to come away with the points under the roof at Telstra Dome made fans believe that maybe all was not lost after all. A highly entertaining match that went down to the wire and showed Thompson and his men weren't quite done with yet.Worst defeat: A few candidates here. Geelong's biggest losing margin came against the Magpies in round eight with the Cats looking disinterested on their way to a 102-point demolition. You can also make a case for the shock 52-point drubbing at the hands of the Hawks at Skilled Stadium in round three that marked the beginning of the losing slide that ultimately doomed their season. But Geelong's worst loss of the season has to be the three-point defeat by West Coast at home in round 10. Going into the match the Cats had lost six of their previous seven games and needed to make a stand if their season was to be saved. Sure they were up against the ladder leaders, but the Eagles were weakened by the absence of superstar skipper Chris Judd. Geelong looked to have exorcised the demons that had haunted it for two months and, with a 54-point lead 14 minutes into the third quarter, appeared destined for a season-saving win. But despite the support of a parochial home crowd, the Cats meekly surrendered their lead as the Eagles put on the biggest comeback in their history to snatch an unlikely win, leaving Thompson to describe it 'as about as bad as it gets'.Shopping list: It doesn't take any special insight to note that Geelong could do with more pace through the middle with the Cats shown up badly in this area on more than one occasion this season. With a bumper crop of tallish, pacy midfielders available in the coming draft, they'll be keen to add a couple of youngsters with a bit of toe to their list who can mature along with the likes of Kane Tenace, Travis Varcoe and Shannon Byrnes. Also, when you consider that Gary Ablett led the Cats' goal-kicking list with 35 this year, it's fairly obvious they need help in the forward 50. Kent Kingsley, Nathan Ablett, Lonergan, Charlie Gardiner, Matt McCarthy and Henry Playfair all had a crack this year as Thompson searched for reliable taller options to complement Gary Ablett and Chapman. It remains to be seen whether any of those names can develop into a blue-chip tall forward, but happily enough for the Cats, they seem to have been delivered the likely answer to their problems in the giant form of Tom Hawkins via the father-son rule in the next draft. The son of 'Jumping Jack' Hawkins has huge wraps on him, stands at 197cm tall and his excellent showing at this year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships had opposition recruiters drooling. Would've almost certainly gone top-five in the coming NAB AFL National Draft had he not been eligible for father-son selection.What the coach says: "It was my worst (season) as a coach because we clearly had a lot of expectation, we clearly haven't lived up to it and it was disappointing. But saying that you know how quickly it can turn around. We made some mistakes, we just have to rectify them and be a better football club.""You don't have to look too far back to know our boys can play. There's been a lot written about our club and what's been going on. Next year you'd hope there would be less problems. We're going to have a really strong pre-season and get back into the area that we probably deserve to be in."What we say: It has to be onwards and upwards from here for the Cats. Complete the review, learn from the mistakes and move on. There's nothing to be gained from spending the summer re-hashing the disappointments of a season gone wrong or trying to apportion blame. Geelong is a better side than its 10th ranking suggests, but the only way back up the ladder is as a unified force. Football clubs are complex beasts and for whatever reason, the Cats failed to present a solid front this year and paid the price. There's no doubt that a few players will need to lift next year, but it shouldn't be forgotten that after their shocking run early in the season, Geelong won seven of 10 matches down the stretch. They'll be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but a few adjustments will be made over the summer and it's not hard to imagine a quick return to finals action.