Cory Gregson deservedly won the Rising Star nomination this week after proving to be the catalyst for the Cats' blistering, seven-goal opening term that effectively sealed the result. Gregson kicked the opening goal of the game, and another not long after, and has impressed since making his debut with his speed, composure, tackling pressure and natural goalkicking nous. He has played six games. Darcy Lang played a very nice support role to Gregson, hitting the scoreboard and making himself dangerous at every opportunity. He, too, has terrific speed and shapes as a natural footballer destined for a long and successful career. He has played seven games. Jed Bews was outstanding against Collingwood, and gets better with every game. The job that he performed on Jamie Elliott, one of the most dangerous and in-form small forwards in the game, had an enormous bearing on the result. Elliott managed just a solitary behind for the evening and Bews claimed another big scalp. He has played 13 games. Nakia Cockatoo was less prominent than previously mentioned quartet, but you get the feeling that we aren't going to be able to say that for too much longer. The hype around him seems justified, and the more football he plays, the more excited Cats supporters will get. His goal in the final quarter, with the Pies pressing, was telling. He has played five games. So, what's the problem? Well, sitting in the stands on Friday night looking on, were four players with 923 games and 10 premierships between them, and for the first time in their careers they may not be walk-up, automatic selections.

And while Scott will never shy away from making the hard decision, his understandable faith and trust in his veteran superstars is certain to be tested by the form of his precociously talented youngsters. So much so that this weekend Andrew Mackie was picked to make his return to football via the VFL before being forced out by injury, while Mathew Stokes may well have joined him had it not been for the unfortunate injury to Josh Cowan. It has been some time since Mackie hasn't been named in the senior line-up when available. He certainly doesn't take the place of Thurlow, whose form this year has been a revelation. And Bews' ability to lock down on the opposition's most dangerous small defender ensures that he maintains his spot in the starting 18. And with Jared Rivers in almost career-best form, Tom Lonergan and Harry Taylor the foundation stones of the defence and Corey Enright recapturing some of his best form after a slow start to the year, Mackie is all of a sudden no walk-up start. His ability to play other roles, maybe on the wing, might be the salvation of his immediate senior career. Which leaves Jimmy Bartel and James Kelly to ponder just where, or indeed if, they fit into Geelong's best 22. They have forged illustrious careers over the past decade by virtue of their sublime talent, courage and flexibility.

Their pathway back to senior football, however, is yet to be decided, and for the first time there is a legitimate question to be raised as to whether they fit in the Cats' best 22. It is a question that is difficult to pose, and done with the utmost respect, but this Geelong side, having lost both finals last year, is moving on. It would be a brave man to suggest they will do so without their two champs, but they have work to do to ensure their names are ahead of the new breed when it comes to selection night. They have, at various stages, been able to provide a steadying and creative influence in the back half, dominated games from the middle of the ground and, particularly in Bartel's case, proved to be a match winner when moved forward. But at 31, there are signs that father time is catching up with both. And in a game that gets quicker each year, combined with their ability to keep themselves fit and on the park, the delicate decision between footy smarts and experience versus carefree naivety, speed and untapped potential is one that will give the Geelong coaching staff plenty to ponder. And while both spent time training with the midfield group over summer, all of a sudden there is a logjam of players claiming what was once their unrivalled territory. Mark Blicavs has emerged as a most unlikely, but effective successor to both and is a portent of future Geelong on-ball set-ups. And with Mitch Duncan, Josh Caddy, Cam Guthrie, Stevie Motlop, Jordan Murdoch and Gregson and Lang all demonstrating an appetite and capability to play through the middle, the threat to Bartel and Kelly's reinstatement is very real.

Stokes' immediate return to the senior line-up this weekend would have been delivered with a direct message that he needs to recapture his best form quickly. Gregson has been dynamic as a small forward who has been able to hit the scoreboard as well as put big defensive pressure on in their attacking 50. With Lang and Motlop also used to complement Tom Hawkins and Mitch Clark, Stokes will be acutely aware of the selection pressures confronting him. And, with the very real likelihood that Bartel may be squeezed out of the midfield, that is one more name he may well be competing with to claim a forward-line position. No one would be more aware of the need to rejuvenate their football team than those who have been a part of the Cats' incredible triumphs of the past decade. Maybe we will look back on Friday night's performance as the moment the baton was, if not completely passed on, at least handed to a group entrusted with running the most pivotal leg. Don't be surprised to see Bartel and Kelly, like Mackie, be made to win their positions back in the senior 22 via the VFL team, rather than have it handed to them as has happened, rightfully, for the past 10 years or so. The younger generation of Cats players will, without question, be enormously respectful of what these champions have been able to achieve before they arrived. Just the same, they also come from a generation of entitlement and expectation, and once they work their way into the position they find themselves in now, don't for a second expect them to simply cede for the returning heroes. Against the Pies, Gregson, Lang, Bews and Thurlow slammed their stakes in the ground. It will be up to Mackie, Bartel and Kelly to unseat them. And it won't be easy.

If they do, at all.