However, vanquished Geelong coach Chris Scott insisted that wasn't the case after the Cats lost their fourth match in the past five to Fremantle.
Geelong had lost just the one match in 2014 before Saturday night's 32-point defeat at the hands of the Dockers at Patersons Stadium.
But the home side started the match high on intensity and, just as in the 2012 elimination final and last year's qualifying final, the Cats couldn't go with them. Five goals to nil in the opening term virtually decided the contest.
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"We don’t live in the past, I don't live in the past but I will for a second," Scott said when asked about the Fremantle factor.
"Tonight we had nine players who were different from last time we played them. Our list has been transitioning really quickly.
"You guys can look at the past, that's your job, I'm not having a go at you or being disrespectful but footy clubs don't work that way. We don't think about what happened 12 months ago, we think about what's happening this week, what we need to do in six weeks' time and six years' time, really."
Questioned further Scott said: "Again it's in the past. Is there a pattern in the way the teams set up? I guess if you are going to try to find a pattern there, we've struggled against certain teams, then it's a good thing that you need to search long and hard.
"We are not running away from it; we had an ordinary game tonight and we planned on playing better."
Scott pointed to a comprehensive beating in contested possessions as pivotal to the result.
"It didn't matter which way you crunched the numbers tonight, we were poor. So it is as plain as the nose on your face we need to get better in that area," Scott said.
"We'll look at a few things structurally and we'll look at some personnel, but the main thing is we'll just practise it more and work out where we need to improve."
He pointed to the solid performance of rising midfielder George Horlin-Smith and promising debut from tough-nut father-son recruit Jed Bews as positives on the night.
The Cats play North Melbourne on Friday night in the clash of the Scott brothers.
"We don’t live in the past, I don't live in the past but I will for a second," Scott said when asked about the Fremantle factor.
"Tonight we had nine players who were different from last time we played them. Our list has been transitioning really quickly.
"You guys can look at the past, that's your job, I'm not having a go at you or being disrespectful but footy clubs don't work that way. We don't think about what happened 12 months ago, we think about what's happening this week, what we need to do in six weeks' time and six years' time, really."
Questioned further Scott said: "Again it's in the past. Is there a pattern in the way the teams set up? I guess if you are going to try to find a pattern there, we've struggled against certain teams, then it's a good thing that you need to search long and hard.
"We are not running away from it; we had an ordinary game tonight and we planned on playing better."
Scott pointed to a comprehensive beating in contested possessions as pivotal to the result.
"It didn't matter which way you crunched the numbers tonight, we were poor. So it is as plain as the nose on your face we need to get better in that area," Scott said.
"We'll look at a few things structurally and we'll look at some personnel, but the main thing is we'll just practise it more and work out where we need to improve."
He pointed to the solid performance of rising midfielder George Horlin-Smith and promising debut from tough-nut father-son recruit Jed Bews as positives on the night.
The Cats play North Melbourne on Friday night in the clash of the Scott brothers.
