Geelong fans could see the future when they secured Bailey Smith in last year's trade period.
An ageing Patrick Dangerfield and an injured Cam Guthrie were set to open a pair of vacancies in the midfield, that coach Chris Scott wanted to fill with attacking players.
The Cats already had Max Holmes on their list, but they needed to find him a partner-in-crime, and Smith has fitted the bill ten-fold.
The former Bulldog's new life in blue and white hoops has been promising for the perpetually contending Geelong Cats, averaging 30 disposals, 7.5 score involvements, 6.3 tackles, 5.8 clearances and 4 marks.
It can be said that Holmes has benefitted from having the former Pick 7 by his side, raking in impressive numbers that has turned him into a more damaging player.
In the Round 5 win against Adelaide, the Cats' new imposing midfield duo combined for 67 disposals, 11 clearances, 15 score involvements and two goals.
"I've really enjoyed having Bailey down here," Holmes said on Monday.
"He's a training nut, so he's kind of forced me to train a bit harder.
"We've gotten along quite well. We get taken the mickey out of a little bit. Two private school boys from Melbourne carrying on like pork chops.
"We've gotten along off the field. It's nice to have some good chemistry on the field already, so hopefully, we can keep it moving forward.
"I love playing with him."
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The inclusion of Smith has allowed Scott to deploy captain Patrick Dangerfield more prominently inside forward 50, which has resulted in 11 goals and two-match winning performances.
The Cats now have an 11-day break before they take on Hawthorn at the MCG for the traditional Easter Monday clash.
The Hawks were routed by Port Adelaide to conclude Gather Round, and will be looking to respond to their first defeat of 2025.
However, Holmes doesn't expect there is an "extra incentive" to perform better, with every game of the AFL season just as important as the next.
"We always talk about it, if a team that we're playing this week gets smashed last week and they're all revved up, good on you, but we don't need to get smashed last week to be ready to go this week, we're professional athletes," Holmes said.
"We don't need that little extra incentive, we're ready to go every week."
All-Australian defender Tom Stewart is expected to return for the Round 6 contest after being a late withdrawal from the weekend with illness.
