Cats fans will have to wait two weeks for a thrilling finals clash with bitter rivals Hawthorn following a 111-point thrashing of Melbourne last Saturday.
But with the bye the focus has turned to the season’s outstanding performances.
Three Geelong players made the All-Australian squad of 40 this year: veteran defender Corey Enright, captain Joel Selwood and, unsurprisingly, Patrick Dangerfield.
Perhaps a prelude to the Brownlow, Dangerfield also won the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year Award on Monday with a record 121 points.
Dangerfield won the award by a record 28 points, describing it as one of his most important.
“The most important thing as a player is to do what your coach says and execute your role,” he told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday.
Dangerfield admitted he had learned a lot speaking to rival Luke Hodge at sportsmen’s nights.
While he admired Hodge’s individual accolades, he was more jealous of the Hawthorn star’s four premiership wins.
“The individual stuff is sensational but what always comes to mind for me is the premiership success.”
Dangerfield is red-hot favourite to win the Brownlow, but for him nothing would compare to winning his first premiership.
“(Thinking about the Brownlow) is not going to help us win Friday week against Hawthorn,” he said.
The explosive onballer will be vital in next Friday’s mouth-watering qualifying final, featuring arguably the two best midfields in the competition.
Dangerfield said he was lucky to play alongside fellow All-Australian nominee Joel Selwood, who “does all the heavy-lifting”.
“He’s been the one that’s continued to get tagged. I’ve never seen a player attack a contest like he does.”
Fellow nominee Cats veteran Corey Enright will become an All-Australian for a remarkable sixth time if selected for the final side.
Dangerfield also featured in the stats honours, with he and Geelong ruck-rover Mark Blicavs breaking three AFL season records.
Dangerfield had the most inside 50s and kicks inside 50s, and Blicavs the most “third man up” hitouts, since Champion Data started tracking games in 1999.
Despite the bye, Cats fans won’t be starved for action, with Geelong taking on Essendon in a VFL elimination final at North Port Oval at 2.40pm Saturday.
They’ll a get the chance to cheer their AFL stars too with an open training session at Deakin University Waurn Ponds the same day.
