RETIRING champion Joel Selwood says the most difficult part about leaving Geelong is forgoing the chance to enjoy more success with Chris Scott's "unbeatable" team.
Selwood, who has called time on his career after becoming the first Cats player to feature in four premierships, sees similarities between the current playing group and the one he claimed a flag with in his debut season.
Geelong won three premierships from four Grand Finals in a golden period between 2007 and 2011 - Selwood's first five years at the club.
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A decade of September heartbreak followed before last Saturday's triumph over Sydney.
"It does feel like the situation when I arrived," Selwood said.
"I won a premiership (in 2007) with a side that was ready to go back then and got their act together. They were able to work through and be so dominant.
"That's the hardest thing about right now ... that we're at this stage where we've been trying to get to for a little while."
Geelong fielded the oldest team in AFL/VFL history in last Saturday's Grand Final.
There were 10 players aged 30 or above, with Selwood the most senior of the lot.
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But the 34-year-old does not believe 2022's breakthrough flag is the end of an era in which the Cats have consistently been around the mark.
"There's just so much good footy in front of these guys and they're doing it with ease and they're doing it together and they're loving playing with each other," Selwood said.
"The magic potion, everyone's looking for it, but it's not always easy to do what they're doing.
"They are basically unbeatable at the moment."
Selwood is the longest-serving club skipper in AFL/VFL history and his departure leaves a hole in Geelong's leadership structure.
Joint vice-captains Tom Stewart and Patrick Dangerfield are in contention to take over the role next year, with Tom Atkins also regarded as a future leader.
Coach Chris Scott described Selwood as "irreplaceable" but said the tough midfielder had helped lay plans for the future before his departure.
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"It struck me from the day I met him that he was always putting others in front of him," Scott said.
"That extended to trying to influence others to get to the position where they could lead this footy club, in his mind as well as he has.
"That won't be possible, but we all feel much better prepared for the next few years at least because of the years that Joel's invested in all of us."
Geelong are expected to add fresh talent to their list via the upcoming draft and trade period, and have been strongly linked with moves for GWS midfielder Tanner Bruhn and Collingwood forward Ollie Henry.
