The stars may have aligned in Round 16 last year when the Sydney Swans defeated Geelong on its home turf, but coach John Longmire won’t be pressing the replay button for a spark of inspiration ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster against the Cats.

He’s well and truly moved on from that night in preparation for whatever opposition coach Chris Scott has in store this time around.

In fact, as is normal practice for the seasoned coach, he’s already moved on from last weekend’s loss to Hawthorn in the hope of returning his side back on the winner’s list and a spot inside the top eight.

“We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what happened last week, let alone 12 months ago,” Longmire said. “Footy moves very quickly these days.”

Geelong’s side looks remarkably different to the line-up which hosted the Sydney Swans in last season’s clash at Kardinia Park.

Only 11 players who donned the hoops on that chilly July evening lined up in the team’s most recent game, against Carlton last weekend.

The Swans and Cats’ seasons to date have also been remarkably different since that clash.

Geelong sit comfortably in finals contention with 12 wins and five losses, a record underlined by five-straight wins to open the season.

Sydney, meanwhile, went winless through the opening six rounds before a resurgence – 10 wins from the past 12 matches – which has slingshot the Swans back into the hunt.

“What we do know is Geelong is in good form, they’re up the top of the ladder, they’re playing good footy, they’ve got some good players, they’ll probably make some changes and bring some better players back in,” Longmire said.

“It’s about respecting the opposition and getting our game right, and improving on how we played on Friday night.”

Longmire noted contested marking as an area of particular concern in the moments following the bruising encounter at the MCG.

With more time to dissect the setback, Longmire said in Monday’s press conference that his side was down across “all areas of the game” and went away from the formula which worked well for them for the seven weeks prior.

Geelong ranks third for contested marks so winning the aerial battle will be one of the keys to defeating the Cats this Friday night.

“Hawthorn were very good, they played a strong brand of football, their pressure was enormous and they were really consistent, they had 22 really consistent contributors,” Longmire said.

“We felt as though we didn’t play as well as we have been playing, and a bit of that is credit to Hawthorn because of how well they’re going.

“We’ve got a few things to work on, coming out of the weekend, and hopefully put those in practice this week.”

Geelong will lose Patrick Dangerfield after the midfielder accepted a one-match suspension from the Match Review Panel for his tackle on Carlton’s Matthew Kreuzer.

Dangerfield’s absence will neither concern or appease Longmire who’s been planning for all of Geelong’s threats, not just the reigning Brownlow medallist.

“He and (Joel Selwood) are two key players for them, there’s no doubt about that, and every team relies upon your key players and we’re no different,” Longmire said.

“But they (the Cats) have got a really even team and they’re obviously playing on their home deck so they’ll have their tails up.”