In cricket, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson terrorised scores of batsman with unrelenting pace. In tennis, Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde ruled the world of doubles for years. And the AFL might be in the process of providing another addition to the pantheon.

You've already heard a lot this season about the names Dangerfield and Selwood. And you'll hear a lot more yet. Perhaps even a Hollywood-type acronym like "Dangerwood". Because as a midfield pairing, specifically at the all-important centre bounce, they're as good a combination as the game has seen.

Patrick Dangerfield's game for Geelong on Saturday night against North Melbourne was by some margin the best individual performance of the season. Indeed, Cats' coach Chris Scott was struggling to recall any better he'd seen.

A total of 48 disposals at 83 per cent efficiency, two goals, a goal assist, 13 clearances – 10 of them at the centre bounce – and 11 inside 50s said most of it. But not all. To put that 10 centre clearances in context, consider that the competition leader in that statistic, Melbourne's Jack Viney, averages four per game.

In more than three decades of covering the game, and 30 seasons of awarding votes out of 10 for The Age, until Saturday night I'd only ever awarded two perfect 10s. This demanded a third.

It's doubtful we'll see a more influential game this season. But Dangerfield's excellence is, pleasingly for Geelong, only half the story.

Joel Selwood was always going to cop less heat from opponents with Dangerfield by his side. But his individual contribution as a result has returned to career-best levels, the times last season when he appeared to labour under the weight of intense targeting from opponents a distant memory.

He's been able to do so without as much hype, either. Selwood's 38 disposals, eight clearances and six centre clearances against the Roos was his best return for the season, but still not good enough to earn him a best-on-ground. Together the star pair wreaked havoc.

The circumstances, admittedly, fell beautifully for them, North Melbourne tagger Ben Jacobs already out injured, Andrew Swallow gone from before quarter-time, and Ben Cunnington and Nick Dal Santo hobbled from early on.

But the modern game hasn't often seen centre square dominance to this extent by just two players.

Geelong won 21 centre clearances on Saturday night. "Dangerwood" won an incredible 16 of that tally, 76 per cent. Dizzy stuff. But with this pair, it's becoming not all that unusual.

The Cats in 2016 have now won a total of 178 centre clearances, of which Dangerfield and Selwood have won 86, for a total of 48.3 per cent. Close enough to half. Five times in 12 games, they've combined for half or more of Geelong's centre bounce tally, last week winning 11 out of 16 against Greater Western Sydney.

The role of Geelong ruckman Zac Smith over the last fortnight shouldn't be underestimated. He's been a key to providing the armchair ride with his tap work, against two class opponents in Shane Mumford and Todd Goldstein.

Continue that supply around the ground as well as in the middle, and as happened with North Melbourne, even quality opponents are going to struggle to cope.

Certainly, the impact on Geelong's game can't be overstated. Even in their glory years, the Cats struggled to win stoppages. By the end of last season, they were stone motherless last on the rankings for clearance wins. After Saturday night, they were third.

And hard as it is to believe, Dangerfield and Selwood have gone to new levels, too. After 12 rounds, the former Adelaide star has a career high disposal average of 30.8. He also has personal bests for uncontested ball (second-highest for contested ball), effective disposals, inside 50s and goal assists.

Selwood's average 27.9 disposals per game is the second-highest of his career. But he has bests for contested and uncontested possession and clearances.

How do you stop them? Well, in Geelong's recent two defeats against Collingwood and Carlton, Selwood was effectively blanketed by Magpie Levi Greenwood and the Blues' Ed Curnow. That also seemed to impact on Dangerfield's contribution.

But with genuine run-with players no longer much in vogue, the chances of an opponent being able to sacrifice two of their own midfielders to play completely negative roles on the star Cats are unlikely – too much robbing of Peter to pay Paul.

Geelong's opponents for the rest of this season, and in their seemingly inevitable finals campaign, are going to have to pay even closer attention to their stoppage work, for the stars of the show are in rare form indeed. And as a duo, lethal.

Channel Seven commentator Cameron Ling on Saturday night likened Dangerfield and Selwood to famous Chicago Bulls pair Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Asked which one he was, Selwood laughed and said Jordan.

Like all good combinations, it's the total output that counts. And perhaps it's worth noting, as Geelong look increasingly premiership-worthy, that Jordan and Pippen were the keys to six NBA titles.

AND WHILE I'M AT IT ...

Eagles Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass tell a sorry tale at Domain Stadium. Photo: Getty Images

There's not much doubt which team has been the most disappointing of 2016, given that Fremantle played off for a grand final spot last year and a fortnight ago was last without a win from 10 games.

But while the Dockers' local rival remains in the top eight, it's about time, particularly on this side of the country, that West Coast came under some heat.

Saturday night's inglorious fade-out at home against Adelaide was arguably the most abject of the Eagles' defeats this season, given the venue and the circumstances, West Coast leading by 26 points late in the third quarter.

From there it was eight goals to zip, the Eagles, as stats man Josh Kay pointed out, held scoreless for the first time in 1232 quarters of football they've played at Domain Stadium over nearly three decades.

They're now in eighth spot at 7-5. The last time a grand finalist had that poor a record at the same stage the following season was Geelong in 2012. The Cats came home like a train that year winning six of their last seven home and away games, but still could finish only sixth and went out in week one of the finals at the hands of Fremantle.

All this season, West Coast have copped the "flat track bullies" tag, winning by plenty against lesser opponents at home, losing by plenty on the road to quality teams like Hawthorn, Sydney and Geelong. Now they've fluffed their lines in the comfort of their own backyard.

Where to from here? Next week presents their most manageable road trip yet, against the hapless Brisbane, before a bye and a chance to regroup. But those four quarters against the Lions will be interesting, given the Eagles looked like they'd already mentally checked out against the Crows.

That lack of resilience in difficult situations is being played out in more tangible ways, too, like contested possession, in which the Eagles have slipped from third last year to eighth at the moment.

And while the forward line has been less productive this season, and the backline still holding together for the better part, the Eagles' midfield is shaping once again as an achilles heel, Matt Priddis getting the touches without enough impact, and with too few contributors, too much being left to Luke Shuey.

Andrew Gaff has had the touches but not the impact of last season. Chris Masten hasn't had the same impact or touches. And as recruits supposed to push the Eagles all the way to the premiership summit, both Lewis Jetta and Jack Redden have been non-events.

West Coast have a manageable run over the next month or so. They also have a difficult finish to the season with GWS (away), Hawthorn and Adelaide (away). Two games outside the top four, their chances of getting back in are growing slimmer. And they're no hope unless they toughen up considerably after their week off.