Geelong's effort to scrape home against the Western Bulldogs was just the challenge his side needed, Cats coach Mark Thompson said on Friday night.
Thompson was glad the Cats, largely unchallenged in the past two years, were able to experience the pressure of an extremely close match against high-class opposition.
Had Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson not missed his shot at goal after the final siren the Cats would have fallen to only their fourth loss from their past 54 matches.
Not used to playing in close matches last year, the Cats melted in the Grand Final against a rampant Hawthorn.
Thompson said he was not fussed whether Johnson missed as he believed his side did not deserve to win.
But he said it was invaluable to play in close matches because it placed pressure on the players and the coaches.
"If you play in a close game it's always a good thing. Sometimes you lose them, sometimes you win them," he said.
"(It's) just that moment that you're living in that last quarter when everything that you do is so important, those matches you remember for a while. They're pretty significant."
"It exposes you to the pressures that you need to be exposed to. I don't think that you need to do it every week because it's a pretty difficult job but every now and then it's great."
"It was great tonight, I enjoyed it."
The Cats' night was soured slightly by injuries to forwards Paul Chapman and Ryan Gamble.
Both injuries were not as serious as they appeared, said Geelong football manager Neil Balme.
Chapman will require surgery to mend a compound dislocation to a finger but could still be available to face Essendon on Sunday week, Balme said.
Gamble, in his first game since Round 2, was taken to the nearby Epworth Hospital with concussion after landing on his head in the second quarter from a marking contest with Bulldogs defender Dale Morris.
Meanwhile, Thompson fired a public broadside at suspended key forward Cameron Mooney, who will return next week.
In Mooney's absence, young forward Tom Hawkins had little impact on the game, finishing the night goalless and with just seven touches and three marks.
"I should really have a go at Cameron Mooney because we did miss him enormously," he said.
"To go out for a silly thing like that it could have cost the club. Lucky it wasn't a knockout final but if it was it would be disastrous because he's so important for us."