Max Holmes and the Cats will take plenty away from an exciting battle with Collingwood last Friday, as they prepare for a thrilling final two rounds of the 2023 home and away season.
Geelong challenged the ladder leaders right until the final siren, boosted by some strong performances from Jeremy Cameron, Patrick Dangerfield, and Tom Atkins.
Speaking to K rock Football following the game on Friday night, Holmes said that there were plenty of positives to come from the clash despite falling just short.
“I think we clearly showed tonight that when we play our best footy, it is still very hard to stop,” Holmes told K rock.
"It's a bit different to last year, a bit tougher road but we're confident that we have the group to make an impact on the season.
"We know that when we come into the club on Monday, you won't be able to tell if we won or lost on the weekend if you didn't know the score.
"We'll work through it and improve for next week."
Holmes will celebrate his 50th AFL game next Saturday night against St Kilda, coming in just his third season with Geelong after being drafted at the end of 2020.
The speedy onballer has taken his game to the next level in 2023, averaging a career high 19 disposals and five tackles per game while spending more time as an inside midfielder.
The 20 year old’s milestone game against the Saints will be an important one for the Cats, with a win pivotal to keeping their finals chances alive.
Holmes told K rock that the Cats were content with their effort against a quality opposition, but it has given them areas to improve on as they continue their push toward September.
“As deflating as it is to lose, there are things that we can work on and we have two more rounds to nail it,” Holmes said.
“There were lots of momentum shifts, we just couldn't consolidate when it was on our side.
"The result was obviously a little disappointing, but there were lots of positives throughout the whole game.
Holmes was also impressed by the impact of Shannon Neale, in just his third AFL game against Collingwood.
Neale collected 10 disposals and a number of score involvements, also winning 12 hit-outs and five contested possessions while spending time in the ruck.
Holmes said the team was thrilled to have Neale back in the side for the game against the Magpies, after putting together a terrific stretch of footy in the VFL.
"I thought Shannon was really good, he has had a great year in the VFL and had a really good season last year too,” he said
“He has shown he is going to be a quality player; he works really hard and we were all really happy for him coming in this week.
"I thought he did really well, he was unlucky not to hit the scoreboard like he probably deserved but he was very good."
