HE SIMPLY looked upon the question as an assessment of his form, but the response from Adam Goodes will be an ominous warning for his opponents.

Like last season Goodes had a slow start by his lofty standards in 2008, even causing his coach at one point to label the form of the dual Brownlow Medal winner a "massive concern".

But Goodes has been Sydney's best in their past two matches, and he was one of the standouts for Victoria in its Hall of Fame match win over the Dream Team last weekend at the MCG.

When Goodes hit form last season he was once again among the game's best. In the second half of the competition — 11 rounds — he polled 20 Brownlow Medal votes (the winner Jimmy Bartel polled 29 over the 22 rounds), and was considered best on ground in four matches. So does he plan a similar vein of form now he has his momentum back?

"The way I have started this year, my intensity and work rate has definitely been there," Goodes explained. "The problem last year was the work rate wasn't there.

"(This year) I can focus on a lot more of the game-plan stuff, and my skill execution, whereas last year it was about getting me to work a lot harder, so I really feel I'm in a better place than I was last year."

Goodes, Ryan O'Keefe, Craig Bolton and Brett Kirk all got though Saturday's game unscathed. Goodes enjoyed the experience, took plenty from "being able to play good footy at that level", and he would support a similar promotion every three or four years.