GEELONG thinks its performances in the first five rounds will have a large bearing on how successful their campaign is in 2015.
 
The Cats kick off the season on Easter Monday against traditional rivals Hawthorn before home games against finals contenders Fremantle, Gold Coast and North Melbourne.
 
The nasty stretch finishes with a game at the MCG against Richmond.
 
Cats defender Andrew Mackie said he was not looking far past the season opener but was conscious of how important it was for Geelong to get off to a fast start.
 
"[It's] hard to look past those first few weeks and even round one to be honest," Mackie said.
 
"We'll know where we're at pretty early in the season, which I find really exciting."
 
Mackie said the straight sets exit from the 2014 finals had spurred the group on over summer but they were now only focused on the opportunity that lay ahead this season.
 
"This year's new: new faces, new staff and it's a new opportunity for us to go out and win a premiership," Mackie said.
 
Mackie has played in three premierships in his 220-game career but said he was as hungry as ever to win a flag.
 
Although a free agent coming out of contract at season's end, the 30-year-old was not giving a second's thought about what he might be doing next season.
 
When asked when he might begin negotiations with the club, he was as relaxed as ever.
 
"Whenever. I'm not too stressed about what lies ahead to be honest," Mackie said. “[I’m] thinking about round one and the start of the season and how important that is to our year."  
 
Mackie said he had not worked out exactly how many minutes he would play during the NAB Challenge but he was keen to get stuck into games in preparation for the premiership season.
 
"I'm really confident with what we can do and what we have put together," Mackie said.