DESPITE having experienced three losses in a row for the first time in his career, Geelong captain Joel Selwood cautions that the game "can change pretty quickly".
The Cats have lost three on the trot after five wins to start the season, and they face a season-defining period with games to come against defending premiers the Western Bulldogs, the stingy Port Adelaide and free-scoring Adelaide.
After the run of outs, Selwood said it was a good time for the club to be playing its first game at home on Friday night and opening the new Brownlow Stand.
"It's been tough. I've never been involved in three losses in a row in my time at the footy club," he said.
"We are down a little bit, but we understand the game can change pretty quickly too, and that is what the talk will be from [the] leaders – and I look forward to being a part of it."
The Cats have been criticised for their lack of pressure, which has seen them caught out of position on the outside of the contest, and many former players have queried their game style.
"As a footy club, we're different to what we were five years ago," Selwood said.
"We are different to what we were last year, and we understand that, but not a lot of people in the footy world move on with that too."
The Cats have only missed finals once since Selwood began in 2007 and have won three premierships in that time.
It has meant they have had to trade-in talent, with only one selection, Nakia Cockatoo, in the top 10 of the NAB AFL Draft since Selwood was selected in 2006.
Selwood said he had faith in the Cats' game-plan and suggested that criticism, while warranted, was premature, with the tide likely to turn for the Cats if they held their nerve – particularly with the gap between teams so narrow in 2017.
"We're not perfect. We don't act us if we are, but we have to do better than what we have been [doing]," he said.
"We have got faith in what we are going to do and how we are going to do it but we are just going to get to work and show you guys."