Geelong are the AFL's model of consistency, with their ability to stay up the top-end of the ladder for over a decade now.
The Cats have made the preliminary final an impressive 11 times in the past 15 seasons, including last season, however, their latest attempt ended badly when suffering an 83-point thrashing at the hands of eventual premiers Melbourne.
Chris Scott's side boasts the most experienced team in the competition, and their premiership window continues to remain open despite their recent poor finals record - a mere 6-13 under Chris Scott since the 2011 flag.
Tom Stewart continues to impress as one of the best defenders in the competition, whilst the cattery also boasts a strong engine room with the likes of Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Cameron Guthrie and Mitch Duncan.
Down forward is where the Cats are at their most dangerous with the twin towers in Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron still in great form and will look to continue their heavy scoring and assisting outputs in 2022.
The lack of youth throughout the side is a particular concern, with the exception of recent draftees in ruckman Toby Conway and hard-running midfielder Mitch Knevitt, but the star talent is hard to ignore in this side, and it should find the Cats up the top-end of the ladder once again in 2022.
Off-Season Moves
Ins: Jonathon Ceglar [Hawthorn], Tyson Stengle [Woodville-West Torrens], Toby Conway [pick 24], Mitch Knevitt [pick 25], James Willis [pick 32], Flynn Kroeger [pick 48], Cooper Whyte [pick 64], Oliver Dempsey [Rookie Draft pick 15]
Outs: Jordan Clark [Fremantle], Charlie Constable [Gold Coast], Darcy Fort [Brisbane], Lachie Henderson [retired], Oscar Brownless [delisted], Josh Jenkins [retired], Ben Jarvis [delisted], Nathan Kreuger [Collingwood], Stefan Okunbor [delisted], Cameron Taheny [delisted]
Breakout Player
Jack Henry stepped up in Tom Stewart's absence at the back end of last season and showed that he is a quality and reliable defender in the back six for the Cats.
Averaging a career-high 14 disposals and 6.3 marks per game in 2021, Henry could break out even more in 2022 given the retirement of key defender Lachie Henderson, with Henry to bear more responsibility down back.
At 23-years-of-age, Henry is still young and yet to hit his prime, with his ceiling as high as any defender in the competition.
The Geelong native is a versatile player, as he can play on tall and small defenders, and can also be seen as a forward option. Standing at 194cm, if Hawkins or Cameron go down with injury or if they want to switch the magnets around.
Look out for Jack Henry further improving in 2022 and could be a key factor if Geelong is to go all the way this season.
