The Cats struggled to defend their title of 2022, amassing just their second
bottom-half finish under the reign of coach Chris Scott last year.
Geelong's season got off to a shaky start, going winless in their first three before bouncing back to claim five straight victories and move back into the finals frame.
Another fall in form left them on the outer once again, with one win in their last six matches of the home and away season putting a line through their finals hopes.
Attention now turns to a new season, where history suggests they could be back in the running.
2024 expectations
Geelong are in a peculiar position heading into the new season, with their down 2023 campaign still not enough to have most ruling them out of a top eight placing - a feat they have reached so often over the past 17 years.
A quieter off-season window will see Chris Scott rely on the list that managed a 12th-place finish last year, with the Cats banking on the development of their young stars and a large reliance on their senior figures.
For the full preview download Zero Hanger's FREEย 2024 AFL Season Guide.
It'll be an uphill battle to make a September return this year for Geelong, but it's never clever to rule the Cats out of a finals spot this early.
Star Player: Tom Stewart
Geelong's defensive general, Stewart has only continued his unlikely, but stellar, rise to stardom and now sits among the club's biggest names.
The mature-aged recruit claimed All-Australian honours in just his second season at the top level and has now won five successive blazers to go with his pair of best and fairests and premiership medal.
His attacking nous is just as damaging as his ability to read the flight of the ball, giving the Cats plenty of effort on both sides of possession. Following on from signing a new deal until the end of 2027, Stewart enters the season as one of the premier defenders of the competition.
