AT HALF-TIME in its elimination final loss to Melbourne, Geelong had laid just one forward-50 tackle compared to the Demons' 16.

In an era when locking the ball inside your forward line has never been more important, this statistical imbalance stood out like Max Gawn would standing alongside Danny DeVito.

It should have put the Cats out of the game but Melbourne had produced some horror stats of its own, kicking just six behinds from 17 entries in the second term to go into half-time just 23 points up.

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The Cats' lack of forward pressure had been exposed previously in 2018 and, as often happens in the heat of a final, this weakness resurfaced on Friday night.

Geelong's pressure improved marginally in the second half as it lost the final forward-50 tackle count 6-23, but Melbourne's dominance here remained a key factor in its comfortable 29-point win.

This chink in Geelong's armour has been caused by a lack of manpower as much as anything.

Speedy small forwards Cory Gregson and Lincoln McCarthy have been dogged by injury to the extent the Cats can probably no longer afford to keep them on their list, while the development of talented youngster Nakia Cockatoo has been disrupted by chronic hamstring problems.

It's no wonder Geelong has offered Luke Dahlhaus a four-year deal. The wantaway Bulldog will almost certainly find his way to GMHBA Stadium in next month's free agency period and, as the fourth-ranked tackler at the Dogs this year, will bolster the Cats' forward pressure.

Geelong is set for some serious soul-searching after a season when it recorded its second worst home and away record (13-9) in coach Chris Scott's eight-year reign, while its finals record since winning the 2011 Grand Final has slipped to 3-9.

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The Cats have relied heavily on topping up with experienced recruits in recent years – and with considerable success.

Patrick Dangerfield has been the recruit of the decade, while Gary Ablett, Zach Tuohy, Lachie Henderson, Scott Selwood and Rhys Stanley have all been valuable contributors.

But as they were overpowered by a Melbourne side built on gilt-edged early draft picks such as Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw, Christian Petracca and Sam Weideman – who had a breakout match with a game-high three goals – the Cats could have wondered whether it was time to reinvest in the draft.

After all, they have not taken a top-20 draft pick since 2014, when they selected Cockatoo at No.10.

And with key players such as Ablett, 34, Harry Taylor, 32, Tom Hawkins, 30, Joel Selwood, 30, Lachie Henderson and Zac Tuohy, both 29 in December, getting on in years, is now the time to bring in some young talent?

Cats coach Chris Scott was reluctant to delve too deeply into list management questions after the match, but conceded the Cats had been contenders since the 2011 premiership without being "quite good enough in the end".

"Clearly we have got some holes that have proved a little bit difficult to plug, but we're still optimistic. I can't work out when our era started and if it's finished or not, I'm not a really big believer in that. I think every year's a year in its own right," Scott said.

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The 'holes' Scott refers to are not limited to the Cats' small forward brigade.

Too often this year, Tom Hawkins has been forced to play a lone hand in attack.

He did so again on Friday night, kicking a team-high two goals and taking seven marks (two contested). He received little aerial help from Daniel Menzel, who had a dirty night, and youngster Jack Henry, whose quiet first final should not take any gloss off a highly promising season.

The Cats have high hopes 2018 debutant Esava Ratugolea can become a valuable forward-line foil for Hawkins, but doubts remain over whether Wylie Buzza will establish himself as a regular senior player.

Melbourne also exposed Geelong's lack of midfield depth.

The Demons shared the work around the stoppages, dominating the clearance battle 37-27 with an egalitarian spirit that would have warmed the heart of Karl Marx. Jack Viney and Clayton Oliver were their leading clearance winners with five, but the Demons had 10 players who won at least two clearances – the Cats had just five.

The Cats tried to reduce their reliance on star midfielders Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, and Ablett towards the end of the home and away season, giving other players more time at centre bounces.

But when the heat was on on Friday night it was again Selwood who stood up to finish with a game-high eight clearances. He just didn't have enough support. Even Dangerfield, who was one of his team's best with 25 possessions, had just three clearances against a season average of 5.5.

All of which heightens the need for the Cats to convince first-year revelation Tim Kelly that his football future lies in Geelong and not back home in Perth.

The Cats' defence held up pretty well given the Demons pumped the ball inside their forward 50 metre arc 60 times on Friday night.

However, they are going to need to find aerial support for Mark Blicavs, if not this off-season, then next.

Taylor recovered from a slow start to hold Tom McDonald to one goal and Henderson should be better next year if he can overcome his persistent knee troubles.

But time is ticking for both key defenders.

Scott was lamenting the Cats' ruck stocks at one stage this season before Rhys Stanley grasped the No.1 ruck mantle with a strong finish to the season.

But the former Saint was unavailable through injury on Friday night, leaving Ryan Abbott to take on the game's most dominant ruckman, Max Gawn.

The 27-year-old rookie battled gamely but, like most others this year, lowered his colours.

With former Gold Coast ruckman Zac Smith seemingly on the outer at the Cattery, will Geelong look to get involved in the annual ruck merry-go-around this trade period?

Things rarely look bleaker than they do after a finals loss.

But, as Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is fond of saying: Things are never as good as they seem, things are never as bad as they seem.

Scott, for one, is in furious agreement.

"At the end of the year, there's only one team that's happy with the way they have gone, but there's enough room for optimism in our future," Scott said.

"I'm not sitting here thinking, 'Gee, it is going to be hard for us.' I'm optimistic about what can be achieved."