THE HOLY Trinity has been put out to pasture.

That much-hyped (media-driven) Geelong narrative entering last season is largely irrelevant only 12 months later, with Joel Selwood shuffled onto a wing and Gary Ablett mostly a forward these days.

Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield is the last man standing from what was pitched as a feared centre-square set-up and instead was a tad underwhelming as a unit in 2018.

PIES v CATS Full match coverage and stats

Star Swan Josh Kennedy's final-quarter onslaught at the Cattery in round six last year, when he won 13 disposals and six clearances to inspire a come-from-behind Sydney win, encapsulated Geelong's issues. 

The theories varied. Three ball-hunters don't work well together. The balance of offence and defence was out of whack. Others were perplexed and lacking for answers. 

Whatever it was, it didn't work. Maybe it would have worked a decade ago. 

As Chris Scott said post-match on Friday night about Ablett: "People need to get it through their heads that we're not rating him as if he's in his prime at 27 (years old), playing 100 per cent of the time in the middle."

Scott and Dangerfield share a laugh after the game. Picture: AFL Photos

The coach sent a clear message from the start of the contest, sending Tim Kelly and Brandan Parfitt to keep Dangerfield company at the opening bounce.

Selwood and Mitch Duncan watched from the wing, while modern-day great Ablett, two months shy of turning 35, was stationed in the goalsquare. 

Kelly was arguably best afield, amassing a team-high 31 disposals, nine clearances and six inside 50s, while Parfitt compiled 22 touches with six tackles.

Whether the murmurings about Ablett resisting his evolution into a forward last year were true or not, he has clearly accepted his new role – or been persuaded to. 

In Selwood's case, he attended 105 more centre bounces than any other Geelong footballer last year. 

The skipper's number on Friday night? Six, only the equal-fifth-most among midfielders, with, for comparison's sake, impressive debutant Charlie Constable having nine. 

"We had to change," Selwood told reporters after the seven-point victory.

"There was a conversation with the coach about what was going to make us better. We have to get some new legs in across the ground.

"It's nice to have my running legs back and getting up and down the ground, but you're (still) an onballer, basically, if you play in between the half-back line and half-forward line." 

However, Selwood added that he would be more involved in the centre in other games in 2019.  

Tellingly, the new approach came against a midfield hyped in some quarters in the off-season as the greatest collection of talent ever. 

We know by now what relevance hype holds.

Taylor Adams was an injury absentee, but Collingwood still boasted Adam Treloar, Scott Pendlebury, the returning Dayne Beams and Steele Sidebottom. 

They all featured in the Pies' top-six ball-winners, but it was the Cats who won the total clearances (40-35, although they were edged 10-11 in the centre) and had 10 more inside 50s. 

One match does not make a trend, but Geelong ranked 13th in the competition for clearance differential and seventh for inside-50 differential last year. 

WATCH Chris Scott's full post-match media conference

Scott certainly isn't ready to gloat about his new-look team after round one. 

Just don't ask the Cats about the Holy Trinity or the criticism their big-name midfield received last season, even though they so willingly discussed the need for change. 

Scott: "Did we have a disastrous year, did we? 

"I can't work that analysis out … We were No.3 or 4 in the comp for attack, No.1 in the comp for defence (with) a pretty good midfield and it was a disaster? It doesn't make sense." 

Selwood: "We never believed in (the Holy Trinity hype) to start … but you guys just have huge expectations sometimes and you've just got to pull them back down."