Geelong Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield sent out a warning to the competition on Saturday night with a best-on-ground performance against the Western Bulldogs.
Dangerfield gathered 26 possessions, seven score involvements and six inside 50s from just 62 per cent time on ground and earned 10 Coaches' Votes for his troubles.
The 32-year-old was scintillating in Round 1 against Essendon but has struggled since, missing several games throughout the year with injuries before Geelong got a mini-preseason into their superstar.
The move paid dividends in the 28-point win in Round 20.
Former teammate and close friend Josh Jenkins praised the performance and admitted he wasn’t sure if Dangerfield could bring that form again.
“I think he’ll always be who he is. His weapon is to go and hunt the ball and we’ve seen him as a younger man dive on the ball, have two or three blokes hanging off him, and just stand up,” Jenkins said on SEN’s The Run Home.
“We saw a display of athleticism (on Saturday night) that, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t 100 per cent sure was still under the hood.
“As a 32-year-old with a lot of tread coming up on game 300 … I wasn’t sure.
“As one of his very, very good friends, I was hopeful it was still there but I wasn’t sure if it was still under the hood.”
Down by 11 points at half-time, Geelong produced a stunning third-quarter display of eight goals to none at GMHBA Stadium which ultimately downed the Dogs.
Dangerfield gathered eight touches in that term, which was when Jenkins - who is the club's ruck coach - knew the eight-time All-Australian was back to his best.
“There was a display there in the third term and I beelined him at three-quarter time and just said, ‘That is the Pat of old’,” the former AFL forward continued.
“And he knew it, it was the beast feeding itself in that term.
“The more he did it, the more the chest was puffed out. We’ve seen him at his absolute best, he struts around like a peacock, as the greats do.
“He’s probably had periods this season where he’s doubted himself a little bit. He still is (a physical beast).”
With Dangerfield on 298 games, the midfielder is expected to play his 300th game against the Gold Coast Suns in Round 22.
The Cats sit on top of the ladder and are all but locked in for a top four spot given they face St Kilda, Gold Coast and West Coast in the last three rounds.