Geelong holds the same record as when it began a stunning march to the flag 12 months ago but one premiership Cat is feeling a lot better than he was back then.
Geelong veteran Zach Tuohy is “a lot more positive” about his team than he was this time last year when the Cats began a sensational march to a premiership.
A second-half fade out on Friday night against Richmond saw Geelong fall to 5-4 this season, the exact same record as the Cats held in 2022, before winning their next 16 games, culminating in a grand final.
Having collected five wins on the trot before the Tigers loss, Tuohy said he was buoyant Geelong would bounce back.
The Cats sit two games outside the top-four, with games against Fremantle (Perth Stadium), GWS Giants (GMHBA Stadium) and the Western Bulldogs (Marvel Stadium) to come before the bye.
The Cats will welcome back Brad Close (suspension) for the trip west, with Tyson Stengle (broken arm) likely and Jack Henry (foot) another possible inclusion.
A host of other first-choice Cats are expected back before the bye.
“We would like to be slightly more positive on the ledger but I feel a lot more positive than did maybe 5-6 rounds into last season,” Tuohy said.
“Personnel makes a difference, people might not like hearing that, but having your best players makes a difference, and we feel like our form is pretty good.
“The last few weeks have been really good and a lot of this game (against Richmond), the numbers were in our favour. When it is inaccuracy in front of goal, it is not panic stations.
“We have been through worse than this and we know our good is pretty good.”
Geelong seemed to have more of the play in the first half of Friday’s 24-point loss but couldn’t make the most of its chances, while Richmond was clinical in front of goal.
While the game swung further in Richmond’s favour in the back half, Tuohy said the loss was more of an “anomaly” than a concern.
“Typically we are really good going inside 50 and we are really good in front of goal so to be honest, it is a little bit easier to take when a strength lets you down on the night because it feels like an anomaly rather than an ongoing issue,” he said.
“It was disappointing because it felt like we were playing good footy for good periods but that is the name of the game.”
Originally published as Zach Tuohy confident about Geelong despite Richmond loss