Collingwood will be a stern initial test for the new-look Geelong, with coach Chris Scott saying the AFL grand finalists now have no holes.
Scott noted that even though the Magpies will be without first-round draft picks Ben Reid, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Taylor Adams through injury, they will not miss a beat for Friday night's MCG blockbuster.
"I don't want to build them up too much, but they're pretty complete now," Scott said.
"They've had a long period to develop this list and they have a lot of good talent there.
"At the very least, you look at them and you think there are not obvious holes in their make-up."
The return of Dayne Beams means Collingwood's midfield looks particularly potent.
Scott hopes that depth causes the Magpies match-up problems - for example, whether they send Levi Greenwood to Joel Selwood.
"One of the problems with having a midfield that's stacked with talent is working out where the - and I use this term respectfully - role players fit in," Scott said.
"To get Greenwood in there onto Selwood, they need to move someone to the outside.
"It's more their problems than ours. The problem we have, if we choose to play a run-with player, is whether we go to Pendlebury or Beams or Treloar or Sidebottom ... and there are a few others in there as well."
Geelong will field a host of new players in the match of the round.
Star recruits Luke Dahlhaus and Gary Rohan will play in the Cats' new-look attack, while Jordan Clark appears a certainty for his senior debut.
Tom Atkins and Charlie Constable could also debut and Esava Ratugolea will return from injury, but Zach Tuohy (knee) remains sidelined.
"I can't say he's a lock, but it would be a brave coaching group not to pick him," Scott said of Clark.
"We're a brave coaching group, aren't we?"
He added it was not worth it risking Tuohy at the start of the season.
"He thinks he could play and I guess if he held a gun to my head I think he could too, but we just don't take those risks at this time of year," Scott said.
While Scott did not confirm any newcomers, he acknowledged the team will look different to the combination that lost last year's elimination final.
"It's been a pretty significant period of transition for us and it's still exciting that we think - with some optimism - if we get it together we can compete with good sides," he said.
"Clearly, Collingwood are one of those."
