Cats' coach Chris Scott is bullish about Geelong going deep into the AFL finals, saying no team should be over-confident ahead of September.
Asked if this is a season when a team from the bottom half of the finals could make a big run, Scott replied "definitely".
The Cats' 57-point win over second-bottom Richmond at home on Saturday night most likely means they will host an elimination final in a fortnight's time, given Hawthorn should leapfrog them on Sunday into the top four.
While Jack Henry was forced off with an ankle injury, the Cats' 20.13 (133) to 11.10 (76) win was mission accomplished.
Jeremy Cameron made a successful return from injury and while Geelong over-possessed at times, it was their sixth-straight win and their second-highest score of the season.
Also, the deeper they can go into the finals, the greater likelihood that star onballer Max Holmes will return from his serious ankle injury.
"Collectively, we go into the finals series feeling good about our game. Not over-confident, but we feel like we've given ourselves a chance to have a really good swing at it," Scott said.
"The most important thing for us is we come out of the game and out of the home-and-away season thinking, 'okay, we've got ourselves in a good spot'.
"To finish fifth or sixth with a 15-8 record and a really good percentage, that's a good season - a lot of years that would get you into the top four.
"Even the way Carlton are playing at the moment, all the way down to 10th, those teams would be thinking 'if we have a good day, we'll be hard to beat'.
"I don't think anyone should be over-confident. I would be staggered if they were."
Star midfielder Bailey Smith was best afield, racking up a game-high 40 possessions and kicking three goals, along with 827 metres gained.
Cameron started his comeback game as a key defender and then went into attack, looking like he benefited from the pre-finals return.
Shannon Neale led the scoring with four goals, including a lovely set shot on the final siren, while Shaun Mannagh and Patrick Dangerfield also kicked three apiece.
Richmond's Sam Banks was forced off with an elevated heart rate and was taken to hospital, but coach Adem Yze said post-game that he had been discharged.
Overall, Yze was pleased that Richmond kept trying to take the game on - they reduced the margin to 34 points in the final term before Geelong kicked clear.
"I can't fault our attitude, our effort. It's been a long season ... but the boys fought it out," he said.
Tom Lynch kicked three goals for the Tigers and midfielder Tim Taranto had 36 disposals, with a game-high 10 clearances.
The Tigers have only won three games this season and are second-last. They will claim the wooden spoon if bottom side Essendon upset Port Adelaide on Sunday.
