Cats fans should be excited with the side powering through one of the competitions toughest batches of games, here is what we learnt thanks to Deakin University.

Not Fake Bews

Perhaps someone who won’t get the plaudits but probably doesn’t mind is Jed Bews. Bews’ performance on Friday night was exceptional as he finished with 14 disposals at 100% efficiency. Known for his tremendous ability to shut down an opponent, Bews was able to not only help quell the Power’s small forwards but also provide tremendous drive into the forward half resulting in three inside 50s, 344m gained, four score involvements and one goal assist. A part of the Cats current good run of form is off the back off how players such as Bews, Cam Guthrie and Sam Menegola have taken their games to the next level.

Misfits for life

The Misfits are firing! Whilst it is easy to find individual performances such as Bews’ above it is the teamwork the Cats backline is showing that is a sight to behold. The Cats have averaged 53.4 points against per game second only to Collingwood’s miserly 49.9 points per game. However, looking at the Cats time in the hub from round six, the Cats average an incredible 44.8 points against. The backline also provided the source for more than half of the Cats points on Friday night showing that an over the field offence is balanced with defence all over the field.

12 in a row

In one of the most exciting signs of the Cats season at the moment, the team has now won its last 12 quarters against opponents North Melbourne, St Kilda and Port Adelaide. Going back to the two games prior in Perth against the Eagles and Dockers, the Cats have won 17 of their last 20 quarters, drawing with the Dockers in one and losing the last half to West Coast. The Cats dominance of their opposition is getting tongues wagging but if they can maintain this current form on the scoreboard it will go a long way to the Cats premiership hopes.

Hawkins has done what?!

What do you say after a performance like Tom Hawkins’ on Friday night? All the normal stats you’ll read in match reports shows how he put in the hard work contested mark and goals wise but a quirky stat shows that Tomahawk’s season is like no other. Channel 7 stats guru Sir Swamp Thing showed that Hawkins has now kicked more goals the opposition in three matches in 2020. Two of those games saw him completely outscore the opposition in the match as well. In a show of his current run of form, all three occasions have occurred in the past five matches. Against Fremantle, Hawkins’ 3.1 bettered the Dockers 2.4, his 5 goals topped the Saints’ 4 and last night his 6.2 outscored the Power’s 4.7. His performance against the Power was the first time this millennium that a player had outscored the side sitting on top of the AFL ladder. Wow.