After 11 rounds of this season, Geelong was perched firmly inside the top four. A dominant win against the untameable Sydney had rival football fans scared at the proposition of facing the Cats come September.
They were dangerous, dismantling first-placed Fremantle in Round 1 and back-to-back premier Brisbane in Round 10. Geelong had beaten the three favourites for the premiership and couldn't play any better.
Star midfielders Max Holmes and Bailey Smith were running riot each week with high disposal games and huge influence on matches. The disciplined defence was strong, allowing just 83 points per match to opposition while scoring 103.
Then, something changed.
They went from one of the leading tackling and contest teams in the competition, to one of the worst.
The problems start at the coalface, with historically low tackle counts alarming.
The Cats have tumbled from a damaging flag fancy, to a team fighting to escape the wildcard losing four of their past five contests nestled in 7th on the ladder.
The slide began against Carlton in Round 12.
Fresh off two straight wins under interim head coach Josh Fraser, Carlton had finally found its form, integrating a new brand of football the playing group could buy into.
The Blues ambushed Geelong going +13 at clearance. Carlton was slaughtering the Cats at the coal face before spreading wide to dominate the uncontested game.
Geelong was caught off guard, overwhelmed by the thunderous Carlton faithful, losing by just four points.
A trip to Adelaide to take on the Crows was next for Geelong, travelling to the City of Churches on just a six day break.
The Crows had a simple plan: manic pressure.
Geelong was attacked with audacious tackling on all parts of the ground. Inside 50, the Crows were suffocating, laying 22 tackles to the Cats' nine.
In the middle was no different, with Adelaide's midfield brigade of Jordan Dawson, Sam Berry, Josh Rachele, James Peatling and Lachlan McAndrew laying more tackles than the top tackling Geelong player.
Adelaide had the top seven pressure players on the ground and won the tackle contest 88 to 62.
Despite the physical torment from Adelaide, the match would result in a one point game with Geelong mounting a late comeback to ultimately lose in the dying stages.
In successive weeks, the Cats were beaten in the physical battle and resulted in back-to-back losses for the first time since Round 3 last year.
Desperate for a response, Geelong returned home to the Cattery to take on a struggling Gold Coast Suns side still recovering from a dismal showing against North Melbourne a few weeks prior.
The hosts dominated from the jump, nullifying the contested and physical side of the game and winning the territory battle.
The win put Geelong back in third and set up a mouth-watering re-match with Fremantle who were yet to lose since their previous contest with the Cats.
Undermanned and outclassed was the story for the Cats, producing a spirited performance against the Dockers after Bailey Smith was a late omission from the contest due to illness.
Geelong gave a strong effort early, capitalising on an inaccurate Dockers team to balloon their lead out to 28 points during the second quarter.
Its scoreboard dominance was short-lived as Fremantle hammered home 11 of the last 16 goals to inevitably cruise home victors by nine points.
By most, this loss was disregarded for the Cats due to their undermanned squad, however the theme of their other losses was still apparent, laying just 32 tackles for the match, the lowest recorded tackle count for any team this season.
Crawling to the bye, Geelong needed to regroup, losing three out of four matches with their top four ladder position hanging in the balance.
Unfortunately for the Cats, their next game was against a white-hot Brisbane outfit, fresh off a domination against Sydney just seven days earlier.
Ambushed from the jump, Brisbane piled on eight straight goals at GMHBA Stadium to shock the Cats.
Geelong rallied back, pulling to within a point early in the third quarter.
They levelled the clearance and tackle numbers while dominating the inside 50s, but inaccuracy cost them getting overrun in the end by 23 points.
So here they stand, 7th on the ladder going into Round 18.
A team with premiership aspirations now jostling for position in the wildcard surrounded by teams with far less talent on their respective squads.
The next month of football will shape Geelong's season.
Away games against GWS, Melbourne and Collingwood across the next four rounds present a tough task for the Cats, as well as a home clash against the unpredictable St Kilda.
If Geelong wants to revitalise its season and push back towards top four, it starts at the coalface.
The Cats have the personnel, All-Australians in Holmes and Smith accompanied by Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Atkins and Oisin Mullin create a dangerous dynamic capable of beating anybody.
Geelong currently ranks second for opposition rebound 50s meaning there is little tackle pressure inside its forward 50 – a stark contrast to the identity that has defined the club's success.
The mindset has to be stronger. Aggression in the contest, win the clearance, deliver inside 50 and tackle hard.
One of the Cats' leaders must stand up (I am putting Smith on top of the list) and set the standard for a shift in mentality at Geelong as they push towards September.
The Cats are just one win outside the top four, so the season is far from over, but if they don't rediscover their aggression, it will be a very early exit for Geelong.
