With the very first competitive hit out against opposition now just hours away, and despite Geelong currently riding a 16 game win streak, the focus around GMHBA Stadium remains strictly on improvement, according to Tom Atkins. 

Having not lost a game since May last year, the football media are high on the Cats’ 2023 prospects, but Atkins, speaking on SEN on Wednesday, was quick to correct the record. 

“I just heard you saying we looked unbeatable but we didn't look too unbeatable in the Qualifying Final against Collingwood, so there's always room for improvement,” he told co-hosts Gary Lyon and Tim Watson. 

‘I think we started to hit our straps at the right time last year so if anything we can try and continue that this year with the guys we've brought in. They're going to bring their own strengths, it's exciting.” 

AFL pre-season is often ripe with talk about pressure for spots, and new players burning up the track, but Atkins said he is genuinely excited about the prospect to see what the 2023 Cats can produce, bolstered as they are by a handful of handy off-season additions and improvement from within. 

“Jack Bowes is a class act, Tanner's (Bruhn) been really good in the midfield as well, and I think we'll see on Thursday, Ollie (Henry) will play a bit up forward. He's been every lively at training. 

“Then you've got the first years as well, Jhye Clark has been awesome, Ted Clohesy, Osca Ricarrdi, guys like that have really been putting their hand up at training, so it's exciting.”

And though it might be a cliché, Atkins said genuine pressure for a spot in the team has kept the group sharp all summer.

“The pressure is always on,” he said. 

“There may be five or six guys, maybe more, that are pretty sure of their place in the team, I think the rest of us… there’s an evenness of the squad. 

I actually messaged Gryan (Miers) last night, our team photo got released, and I was just going through the faces and the majority of those guys you'd be happy to play in the AFL team, so I said to him it might be one of the strongest lists we've ever had, definitely the strongest list we've had since I've been here, it's a good thing for the Cats.”