Geelong's benchmark on Sunday will be returning to their own high standards, not their opponents Richmond, says defender Tom Lonergan.

After starting the AFL season under rookie coach Chris Scott with 13 straight wins, the Cats' momentum has stalled, with losses to Essendon and West Coast, followed by a hard-fought win over Brisbane.

All three matches have involved slow Geelong starts and big opposition scores.

Lonergan blamed players deviating from team instructions and not working as hard as earlier in the season.

"We know we've got to get back to being right on the job come game day and ready to do the hard things as well as attack and do all the nice things," Lonergan said.

"If we're not right on in these areas and other teams are, then we'll get beaten."

Lonergan said the downturn might prove a "blessing in disguise", reminding the Cats of the fine balance between good and bad form while they still had time to learn their lesson.

"Guys have to realise that we're not the best team in the competition," he said.

"On our day, if we're playing at our best we can certainly be up there and beat Collingwood, Carlton, Hawthorn, all these types, but we're not at the moment and we've got a lot of work to do."

Sunday's Etihad Stadium clash with the Tigers does not shape as an opportunity for the Cats to show they can match the best.

Richmond's season is heading downhill, with last round's loss to Gold Coast their sixth in seven games and they have lost their past six meetings with the Cats, most by massive margins.

But Lonergan said the Cats were more interested in their own performance.

"We've got to concentrate on the things that we haven't been so good at over the past few weeks, I don't think it matters too much about the opposition," he said.

"... We've just got to make sure we get back to starting games well and doing our structures and making sure our team game plan and everything is working as well as we can.

"No matter what the opposition is, whether it's a top team or a lower-placed team, it doesn't matter."

The Cats have regained premiership defenders Matthew Scarlett and David Wojcinski, but are missing captain Cameron Ling and ruckman Brad Ottens.

Midfielder Shane Tuck and forward Mitch Morton have earned recalls for the Tigers, while Angus Graham replaces fellow ruckman Andrew Browne.

The Cats were also forced into a late change, withdrawing ruckman-forward Nathan Vardy (hamstring) from their 22 on Saturday, replaced by Shannon Byrnes, a significant loss given Ottens' absence.

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