Thanks toDaniel Cherny from[span style='font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 18px; background-color: #ffffff;]www.backpagelead.com.au



<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]Geelong continue to astonish with their longevity at the upper reaches of the AFL ladder. Striving for a fourth premiership in seven seasons, the Cats remain one of only three undefeated sides this year, having accounted for both of last year's Grand Finalists in the process. The men from 'sleepy hollow' truly are modern football's immovable object.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]In stringing together their five consecutive wins to begin the 2013 season, the Cats have called upon 27 players, of whom 17 have played in at least one of the club's recent premierships. The influential performances of inexperienced duo Steven Motlop and George Horlin-Smith, along with the promising cameo offerings of Billie Smedts, Mark Blicavs and Josh Caddy, have further validated the widely held belief that Geelong's list will not disintegrate once the majority of its premiership heroes have called time on their storied careers.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]Yet it is not merely the the sprinkling of talented youth that gives the 2013 Cats a distinctly different look in comparison to its flag-winning antecedents. It is the curiously large number of experienced players no longer playing in the positions on the ground in which they first made their name that is too becoming one of hallmarks of modern-day Geelong.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]Take Saturday night's victory over the Western Bulldogs as a case study. Paul Chapman could not take his place in the side through injury. The Cats were further weakened prior to the bounce with the late omission of the hulking Tom Hawkins. Steve Johnson and Matthew Stokes combined for only one goal. Nonetheless Geelong still managed to conjure 15 majors to record their fifth consecutive triple-figure points tally of the season.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]Central to the victory on Saturday night tally were Johnson and Harry Taylor. This is hardly remarkable, both have been tremendous players for a sustained period. Noteworthy though are the roles the two performed. Since his 2007 season of redemption, Johnson has been a heavy accumulator of possessions. Yet since in the past two years he has shifted upfield, and the one-time dynamic high half-forward flanker has become a bona fide midfield tyro. On Saturday night he gathered the ball no less than 30 times, now a common occurrence.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]Taylor's transformation has been considerably less subtle. Prior to his 100th game midway through last year he had kicked 9 career goals. Swung forward in his milestone game against GWS, he was an instant hit, and In the 18 games since he has 22 goals. A player who had largely been used in a nullifying defensive role until his mid 20s has become the game's most potent key position utility. Sometimes it is James Podsiadly, hulking forward, who swaps with Taylor and spends some time at the defensive end - a win-win if it helps JPod get into the game.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]Others, too, have found enjoyment in expanding their repetoire. Mathew Stokes has developed from cunning goalsneak into rampaging onballer. Jimmy Bartel earnt his 2007 Brownlow Medal toiling away in the centre-square engine room. He has since become a gap-filler of the highest quality, capable of starring on any line. Nor should it be forgotten that prior to becoming a reliable defensive stallwart, Tom Lonergan kicked the bookending goals of the 2008 Grand Final in his previous life as a forward.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]It is Geelong's readiness to mix and match that has afforded it the opportunity to be integrate youngsters. Thirty-eight players could not have been tried last season had the likes of Stokes and Johnson been willing to move out of their comfort zone and take greater responsibility, allowing the next wave to debut with less burdensome roles in pockets and on flanks.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]The innovation shown by the Cats' coaching staff has kept them in the premiership race despite losing in the past three years the game's best midfielder, most accomplished defender, an elite ruckman and indefatigable tagger and captain. One only needs to glance at the ladder to appreciate how well they're defying football's ageing process.
<p style='margin-bottom: 1.3em; font-size: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: 22px;]<em style='font-size: 15px;](You can follow<strong style='font-size: 15px;]Daniel Cherny[/b]on Twitter @danielcherny)