With the cancellation of Sunday’s match against Adelaide and a bye the previous week, Geelong will have had almost three weeks off since its last AFL match.

In their last outing, the Cats lost to Melbourne way back on Sunday, June 21.

That layoff has positives and negatives.

On the plus side of the equation, the team has a decent chance to freshen up and launch into the back half of the season.

However, there’d be concern that the lack of continuity will result in the players being a little rusty.

One bonus though could be the return of champion midfielder Jimmy Bartel who hasn’t seen any action since Round 3 after injuring his left knee against the Gold Coast Suns.

The 31-year-old made his comeback via the VFL on Saturday against the Scorpions at Casey Fields and was named in the Cats’ best with a match-high 28 touches, seven clearances, six tackles and five marks in about 80 per cent of game time.

Geelong sought special permission to allow Bartel to play in the game and it may have paid dividends.

The Cats are just two points ahead of North in 10th spot on the ladder making the matchup on Saturday night a blockbuster.