GEELONG is, once again, where it wants to be heading towards September.

For the 15th time in the last 16 years, the Cats have made the finals. Remarkably, for the 13th time in the last 16 years, they will also have the double-chance courtesy of yet another top-four finish.

But, despite such dominance throughout the home and away season, the question still lingers: does the club need to cash those high ladder positions into a fourth premiership to fortify its standing as the best club of the modern era?

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Dating back to the start of its period of success, its premiership season of 2007, Geelong has a 19-17 record in finals matches. It hardly reflects the club's overwhelming superiority during the home and away season.

The Cats have turned only five top-four finishes into Grand Final berths, and three into premierships. The club's flag 'drought', if you can call it that, now dates back over a decade to 2011.

Since that premiership season, which marked its third triumph in five years, the team has been unable to convert high ladder positions into the ultimate glory. It's finished inside the top-four in eight years since, but is 7-15 in subsequent finals matches.

It has reached four preliminary finals in the last six seasons, but hasn't enjoyed a premiership in that time, while only one of the side's four minor premierships throughout its most successful period has been converted into a flag so far.

This year, it has the best possible chance of adding another flag to the trophy cabinet. It enters the finals series on an unbeaten 13-match run, with an average winning margin of 39.3 points during that stretch. The Cats are disposing of teams comfortably.

Furthermore, Geelong's 18-4 record throughout the home-and-away season has only been bettered twice throughout its era of glory. Those years came during a 21-1 campaign in 2008 and then again in a 2011 premiership season where it went 19-3.

Given the club's ability to continually regenerate its list and retain its position towards the top, it would be folly to suggest this season is do-or-die for Geelong. But that chase for another flag continues.