FOOTBALL must feel like fun again for Joel Selwood.
The Geelong captain cut a frustrated figure last year, ground down by constant niggling from opponents as the Cats missed finals for the first time in nine years.
With Selwood battle-weary from trying to inspire his struggling team, some club officials feared for the 27-year-old's longevity in the game if his body continued to cop a battering week-in and week-out.
The beleaguered champion needed a chop out.
Enter Patrick Dangerfield.
Although it's early days, the synergy between Selwood and Dangerfield is becoming something special.
The dynamic duo share the ball five times a game (equal fourth in the AFL) on average, and you would suspect they're only going to get better.
But even when they aren't terrorising in tandem, they’ve perfected the art of 'If Joel doesn't get ya, Paddy will'.
Dangerfield is ranked first or second at Geelong for disposals, effective disposals, contested possessions, ground ball gets, inside 50s, clearances, centre bounce clearances, hard ball gets, gathers from hit-outs and score launches.
His explosiveness around the ground has gone to another level.
The superstar's metres gained are through the roof – up by more than 200m per game from last year to 630m a match – and Dangerfield is turning attention away from the skipper, who's relishing the new-found freedom.
Selwood is still a beast at the contest (No.2 in the AFL for clearances, equal third centre clearances), but now he's also finding 'easier' ball to go with his hard-fought touches.
His uncontested numbers are up (+3.8) and he's contributing more scores and assists, reminding the competition why he finished runner-up to Gary Ablett in the 2013 Brownlow Medal.
Three years ago, a career-best 30 goals propelled Selwood to within a vote of the game's highest individual honour.
This time he's turning facilitator; the wiser, older head bringing younger and less experienced teammates into the game.
He was the Cats' No.1 score launcher last year – winning the footy and feeding it out to his fleet-footed teammates.
In 2016, he's leading the club for score assists (2.5 from 1.1 per game) and the more attacking Geelong (+26 points from 2015) is almost a game a goal better off just from the captain's involvements.
Chris Scott has, rightly, been at pains to point out Geelong is no two-man team. It's been improvement across the board that's lifted the Cats to second on the ladder.
But the swagger is back at the Cattery and no one would be happier than the coach to see the captain leading from the front.
STATS QUIRK OF THE WEEK: Geelong has won every fourth quarter and booted 30.20 (200) to 6.14 (50) in in the opening six rounds, a far cry from 2015 when the Cats lost 14 final terms, scoring 60.65 (425) and conceding 67.64 (464).
