Geelong’s Luke Dahlhaus celebrates a goal in his first game for the club last Saturday night.

Last year was a bitterly disappointing one for Geelong, the Cats crashing out of the finals at the beginning of September at the hands of Melbourne.

There have been plenty of positive noises emanating from the club throughout the summer months, and this season has been labelled as the “last chance” for this current crop of players.

On paper, the Cats appear to have more than enough talent in their ranks to reach the 2019 grand final, and many fans expect them to go all the way. Can Chris Scott’s side finally fulfil those lofty pre-season expectations?

The Cats made the perfect start to their 2019 campaign by producing a stunning comeback performance against the much-fancied Collingwood.

The Pies started brightly with Jamie Elliott catching the eye on his return to the side, but Geelong rode out the storm, and slowly began to turn the tide after half-time.

Tom Hawkins was the hero, the veteran forward kicking the 500th goal of his distinguished career. With the scores tied, Hawkins ran on to the bouncing ball to give his side an unassailable lead. Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Tim Kelly and Patrick Dangerfield all caught the eye during an assured and professional performance at the MCG.

Chris Scott also fielded four debutants in this opening fixture, with Jordan Clark, Tom Atkins and Charlie Constable all seemingly settling in nicely to their new surroundings.

Geelong has now been victorious in 11 of its last 14 opening season encounters, and fans have become acclimatised to seeing their team make fast starts, before gradually fading throughout the second half of the campaign.

The Cats are $12 in the latest Aussie Rules betting to be victorious in the 2019 grand final, although they do still have plenty to prove.

Twelve months ago, they followed up their opening day victory with back-to-back defeats to Hawthorn and West Coast. Consistency was not a strong point last year, and fans will be desperately hoping for fewer peaks and troughs this time around.

Mark Blicavs enjoyed a tremendous breakout 2018, and looks set to continue his development this season, whilst there is plenty of hype surrounding Kelly. Jack Henry was nominated for the AFL’s Rising Star, yet despite all this, Geelong still somehow fell short of expectations.

The Cats’ recent finals record makes miserable reading, currently standing at 3-9, and it’s something Scott will be desperate to put right in 2019.

Many pundits questioned Scott’s set-up during September’s comprehensive 75-46 defeat to Melbourne, but Geelong’s opening day victory will relieve some of the pressure on the under-fire 42-year old. Despite having his contract extended until 2022, Scott simply must deliver this season.

Geelong has traditionally struggled during key encounters, and captain Selwood must lead by example once again. He’ll be aiming to help his side to overcome its recent failings in the finals.

The true test of this squad will arrive in September, but Geelong has made the best possible start to the 2019 campaign, and the underwhelming conclusion to last season now appears to be firmly behind them.

It’s still early days for the Cats, but they’ve made a positive start by beating one of their potential finals rivals at the MCG.

Scott must ensure that standards do not drop over the coming months, and his side keeps up its high-intensity approach throughout the season. If the Cats can maintain that level of performance over a sustained period of time, they will surely be a big chance for this year’s showpiece event.