The club: Geelong
Formed: 1859
Joined AFL: 1897
Premierships: Seven – 1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, 1963, 2007
Last finals appearance: 2007 grand final (v Port Adelaide)

2007 at a glance:

The fairytale label probably doesn’t do justice to Geelong’s 2007 campaign. After starting the season 2-3, the Cats unleashed an astonishing blitz of form that included only one more loss for the season – by five points on a last-second goal – and a 119-point mauling of Port Adelaide in the grand final.

2008 to date:

Six games, six wins and top spot on the ladder – it’s hard to fault the Cats’ start to 2008. However, despite impressive wins over Port Adelaide, Essendon, St Kilda and Sydney, there have been signs of some small chinks in Geelong’s armour. The Cats defeated likely wooden spooners Melbourne by ‘only’ 30 points in round three, then somehow pulled a one-point win out of the fire against Fremantle last week.

The coach:

Previously viewed as a fairly intense figure, Mark Thompson now appears to be the most relaxed man in the business. That is probably to be expected when your team has emerged victorious from 25 of its last 26 games and won a grand final by almost 20 goals.

Missing in action:

Geelong skipper Tom Harley is in doubt with a glute injury, while Matthew Egan’s foot ailment continues to keep him out indefinitely. Premiership ruckman Brad Ottens seems unlikely to return from a foot problem this weekend and instead looks set to resume in round eight – good news for the Lions.

The gun:

Take your pick! The Cats had a phenomenal nine All-Australians last year, but Gary Ablett might well be the best of them. Ablett lost out on the Brownlow Medal to teammate Jimmy Bartel, but took out almost every other award and was a runaway winner of Geelong’s fairest-and-best. His importance has been outlined in the past fortnight – a superb 35 possessions and three goals inspired a brilliant win over Sydney, while a quiet 15 disposals coincided with the near-loss to Fremantle.

The bolter:

He might have a non-descript name but Harry Taylor has done plenty to attract attention on the field in his debut season. The Cats’ No. 1 draft pick from 2007 will be remembered by Lions fans for the solid job he did on Jonathan Brown in the NAB Challenge at Carrara – a role he may well play again this weekend. Last week, the East Fremantle product took a match-saving mark against Fremantle.

Strengths:

Where to start! Geelong’s list is one of the most talented seen in the modern era. Eight All-Australians are likely to take the field on Saturday afternoon – Ablett, Bartel, Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Cameron Mooney, Joel Corey and Cameron Ling. And then there are the players who could very easily be in the running for All-Australian honours in seasons to come – Paul Chapman, Joel Selwood, David Wojcinski and Andrew Mackie. The Cats play a high-scoring hard-running brand of football, fuelled by a powerhouse midfield, a creative defensive team and some quality forwards. Their will to win cannot be questioned, as evidenced by the against-the-odds victory over Fremantle.

Weaknesses:

It’s awfully difficult to pick weaknesses in team that has been as dominant as Geelong. But Fremantle did provide a blueprint last week for beating the Cats – or nearly beating them, as it turned out. The Dockers ran hard and took risks, played feisty and tight football on Ablett and Bartel and dominated in the ruck. The Lions don’t have a 211cm giant like Aaron Sandilands but Jamie Charman and Matthew Leuenberger have an edge over the inexperienced Geelong pairing of Mark Blake and either Shane Mumford or Trent West.

Running hot:

Selwood, the younger brother of Lions defender Troy Selwood, picked up 14 of his 26 possessions against Fremantle in a frenetic last quarter. Corey was outstanding throughout the same game, making up for quiet outings by Ablett and Bartel with 35 disposals. Cameron Mooney and Steve Johnson only had a combined 19 kicks versus the Dockers, but six of them were goals.