THERE are 15 AFL coaches right now looking for football's version of Janko Tipsarevic.

You remember him! He was the young, unheralded and bespectacled Serb who, at the 2008 Australian Open, showed the tennis world that the unconquerable force that was Roger Federer could be beaten. Or at least challenged.

He defied accepted tennis reason in an extraordinary third round battle with the world No. 1 over 4½ hours before going down 6-7, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 10-8.

It was like a lightning bolt to the rest of the field. And after its near-miss, the bolt hit its mark a few days later when Federer was beaten by Serbia's Novak Djokovic, who later won the final.

Roger Bannister was like Tipsarevic when he was the first runner to break the four-minute mile. For so long it was an impossible barrier, yet when one person cracked it, he gave hope to everyone else and, all of a sudden, a string of others did likewise.

After Geelong's extraordinary demolition of the Western Bulldogs last Saturday — a 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 cakewalk, if you will — there is an element of Federer-like invincibility about the 2007 AFL premier. And a notion of inevitability about the Cats' quest for back-to-back flags.

The competition looks like it is in apparent awe of this Geelong team. They speak about it with an intensity that runs deeper than just respect. It says intimidation.

The often-glowing appraisal of the champion by its rivals has me concerned. As spectators, we are fortunate to sit back and admire the team ethos and the individual brilliance of Geelong, but as competitors, players cannot become spectators.

Hawthorn holds more in its hands tonight than just the four points. Other than Collingwood, which beat the Cats in round nine, the Hawks hold the "belief" of the competition. The hope.

But Geelong, keen to prolong the current trend, will be "up" for Hawthorn tonight. The Cats will be looking to make another statement to another would-be challenger.

Geelong's 86-point loss to Collingwood is the Tipsarevic inspiration. The Pies denied the Cats time and space, through relentless pressure all over the ground, as they set an example for others.

Geelong may not have been in as blistering form on that occasion, but such was the Collingwood intensity, it would still have rolled an on-form Cats side.

Hawthorn, with a dream opportunity on the big stage in front of a sell-out crowd tonight, is better-equipped to put scoreboard pressure on Geelong via key forwards Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead. But it is going to be more about the mental resilience of Hawthorn and its ability to cope with the relentless intensity of the premier.

The Hawks' challenge is to maintain focus on the contest and remain intent on their goal when distractions occur and scoreboard pressure becomes a factor. To make wise decisions under pressure and think their way through the maze of Geelong players who support, cover and collaborate with one another.

This game, for all the strategies, tactics and talent, will be mainly played by the little man upstairs, inside their heads, telling the players what they can and cannot do.

It is going to be the same challenge for every team that faces Geelong up to and into September.

With all the hype surrounding the Cats, it will be business as usual at the Cattery, with games against Richmond, Melbourne, Sydney, North and West Coast to follow Hawthorn. Training intensity will be critical. And high. The leadership group, as strong as any going around under Tom Harley, will play a pivotal role. There is a level of expectation within the group, which keeps standards high, and enormous internal pressure for those last few spots.

Outside last week's 22, plus the injured trio of Gary Ablett, Cameron Ling and David Wojcinski, there is 2007 grand final team member Shannon Byrnes, Tom Hawkins, Trent West, Kane Tenace and David Johnson as back-up selection options. Coach Mark Thompson could hardly wish for more.

It's not about how they handle the next six weeks. They will just do it. That they have been through it all last year, when the first-time pressure was so much greater, will help keep things in perspective. It is dangerous to flirt with form and anything of the sort would be Russian Roulette, football-style.

No, in the run to September it's more about what the other teams in contention will do. Or try to do. They cannot afford to focus on the Federer-like invincibility of the Cats because they cannot control what the Cats do.

When I look at Geelong, I admire its extraordinary cohesion and the way it shares the ball and bring others into the game. The relentless intensity it dares other teams to match, the firepower and scoring it has right across the ground, and the pure talent it has.

I just hope the rest of the competition doesn't do the same thing.