Geelong have ended Melbourne’s unbeaten run at the MCG under coach Steven King, producing a ruthless second-quarter blitz to underline why the Cats remain one of the competition’s genuine premiership contenders.
After absorbing Melbourne’s early onslaught, Chris Scott’s side flipped the contest on its head with seven goals to two in a devastating second term that combined fierce pressure, precise ball use and clinical finishing. It was a burst from which the Demons never fully recovered, despite repeatedly threatening to reel the margin back in the second half.
Despite missing arguably their two most influential players in Jeremy Cameron and Max Holmes, the Cats produced the performance of a seasoned veteran, and ran away 20-point winners, 18.9 (117) to 14.13 (97), on a night they scored a staggering 101 points from turnover.
The result was a tale of two quarters.
Melbourne controlled much of the opening term and should have built a match-winning buffer. The Demons won territory, generated repeat inside-50 entries and looked sharper around the contest, but their inability to capitalise proved costly. Time after time they squandered opportunities, finishing the quarter with far less reward than their dominance deserved. Had they kicked straight, they could easily have been four or five goals clear.
Instead, Geelong escaped with minimal damage before delivering a footballing masterclass.
The Cats’ second quarter was as impressive as it was brutal. Their ball movement became cleaner, their pressure intensified, and the Demons suddenly found themselves unable to stem the tide. Every turnover was punished, every lapse in defensive transition exposed.
No player benefited more than emerging key forward Shannon Neale.
The Cats’ spearhead proved far too powerful for Melbourne defender Lukas Cooke, who was playing just his second AFL game. Neale consistently outworked and outmuscled his inexperienced opponent, hauling in contested marks and finishing with five goals, including four before half-time, as Geelong established a commanding advantage.
Cooke battled manfully but was handed one of the toughest assignments in football and Neale made him pay.
While Geelong’s forwards were firing, the Cats also entered the night with a clear tactical blueprint for Melbourne captain Max Gawn.
Rather than allowing the star ruckman to drift behind the play and influence contests with his marking, Geelong assigned the athletic Mark Blicavs to shadow him around the ground after stoppages. Blicavs’ running capacity and discipline prevented Gawn from becoming the spare behind the ball or providing his usual aerial outlet around the ground, limiting one of Melbourne’s greatest strengths.
It was another reminder of Geelong’s willingness to think differently in big matches and execute specialised roles with precision.
To Melbourne’s credit, they refused to disappear.
Harrison Petty, reinvented as a key forward after spending much of his career in defence, threatened to drag the Demons back into the contest almost single-handedly. At times he looked like a modern-day Garry Lyon, presenting strongly, clunking contested marks and finishing with four goals in arguably his finest performance since returning to attack.
Every time Melbourne appeared on the verge of falling away, Petty provided another spark, but Geelong’s class and composure ultimately proved too much.
The victory reinforces the Cats’ status as one of the AFL’s leading premiership fancies, particularly given the authority with which they wrestled momentum from a Melbourne side that had looked so dangerous early.
Yet the win was not without concern.
Captain Patrick Dangerfield spent much of the night moving gingerly and, at times, appeared to be labouring badly with the groin and hip issue that has troubled him in recent weeks.
The veteran hobbled around the ground like a senior citizen during parts of the contest, raising fresh questions about whether Geelong may need to manage the 36-year-old carefully heading into the closing stages of the season.
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Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.From our partners
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
