It is the sort of draw that will leave Geelong in no doubt with where they stand among the AFL's heavyweights.
Three top-six opponents visit Simonds Stadium in August - starting with Sydney on Friday night - in a season where teams aren't quite sure where they fit in the finals jigsaw.
Outside of leaders Adelaide, the competition's form sides might be the Swans (sixth) and Hawthorn (12th).
The third-placed GWS Giants have been far from convincing over the last six weeks.
The Cats professionally dispatched a lowly Carlton on Saturday night to clear the way for the blockbuster final month.
But that might not have answered any questions as to how deep their finals run might be.
It's something coach Chris Scott is wondering himself.
"Our ladder position is tenuous," he admitted.
"In particular given we play Richmond, GWS and Sydney (and) the result of those games will have a big bearing on ladder impact.
"We are in a slightly new paradigm which suggests that if you're playing well enough finishing outside the top four doesn't make it impossible ... that's not to say we'll be throwing the next few games so we can finish fifth."
The re-emergence of Tom Hawkins suggests the Cats have an ace up their sleeve.
Hawkins entered the match with just 11 goals in eight matches but booted six majors to blow away the Blues.
Scott said he wasn't surprised by Hawkins' big Saturday night.
"Some of the commentary around his form has been a little bit overblown ... it's not as if he hasn't touched the footy," he said.
"We have an emphasis to try and get the ball to him more in general
"Tonight was a really dominant performance. It was exciting for us to see him moving around the ground"
Hawkins said he was delighted to also tally five score assists and a career-best 27 touches in a roaming role.
"The most pleasing thing was I was able to get in the game early and have an influence," Hawkins said.
"Not just on the scoreboard but inside forward 50 distributing the ball."
Like his coach, the two-time premiership player is eager to see what the next month brings.
"All top sides want to play the best and that's been our philosophy the whole time I've been at the footy club ," Hawkins said.
"We're really eager to test ourselves against Sydney, arguably the form team in the comp."
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