Related coverage
Geelong have recorded the second biggest victory in VFL/AFL history, humiliating Melbourne by 186 points at Skilled Stadium.
The Cats won 37.11 (233) to 7.5 (47), with Geelong’s total the fourth largest of all-time.
And the only bigger winning margin ever recorded was 190 points by Fitzroy – also against Melbourne – back in 1979.
Forwards Steve Johnson (seven) and Cameron Mooney and Tom Hawkins (five apiece) shared 17 goals between them as the Cats had 14 individual goalscorers.
Johnson also recorded a remarkable nine goal assists, while Joel Selwood racked up a game-high 43 possessions.
A total of nine Cats had more possessions than Melbourne’s most prolific player – Jordie McKenzie with 25.
The Cats had their opening goal within the first 75 seconds as Jimmy Bartel slotted a set shot from outside the 50m arc.
Joel Corey got the second three minutes later and when Mooney booted his first of the season shortly afterwards, it was pretty clear this was going to be the Cats’ day.
The Cats led by eight eight goals at quarter-time.
But if the first quarter was impressive from the home side, the second was something else again.
Kicking into a stiff breeze, the Cats outscored Melbourne by 12 goals to one, with the halftime margin of 114 points the second highest in VFL/AFL history.
The third term was the least embarrassing one for Melbourne – relatively speaking – as they kicked four of their seven goals while Geelong booted eight.
The only interest in the final term was in how many records the second-placed Cats would break.
They ended up just short of the biggest-ever winning margin and total, although that didn’t seem to bother the deliriously happy home crowd of 22,716.
Although Melbourne are still just four points outside the top eight, their chances of sneaking into the finals all but evaporated on the darkest of days for the club at Skilled Stadium, a venue where Geelong are now unbeaten in 28 games dating back to 2007.
© AAP 2012Recommend this story.
The Turkey 10
The Turkey 10 teams have now been selected, as Wild Turkey Bourbon's sport sponsorship kicks into the next exciting phase.
Choose which side you're going to support and get in the running to win $2,500!
Simply visit Wild Turkey Australia on Facebook for your chance to win.
Find out more.
- Explore:
- AFL, Demons, Geelong, Melbourne Demons
July 30th 2011 @ 6:08pm
Phil said | July 30th 2011 @ 6:08pm | Report comment
I’m not a Melbourne or Geelong supporter, but that was a disgraceful effort.
July 30th 2011 @ 6:16pm
The Cattery said | July 30th 2011 @ 6:16pm | Report comment
It just kept up with it with the radio and twitter, and it sounds woeful on the part of the Dees: players not chasing, not really wanting to get their hands dirty, bruise free stuff, I read that Moloney didn’t get a touch.
July 30th 2011 @ 7:45pm
amazonfan said | July 30th 2011 @ 7:45pm | Report comment
Please tell me you didn’t come onto the thread to rub it in?
July 30th 2011 @ 6:19pm
The Cattery said | July 30th 2011 @ 6:19pm | Report comment
@TCthecattery tweeted:
#aflcatsdees makes the some of the Suns’ efforts this year look half decent
July 30th 2011 @ 7:40pm
brendan said | July 30th 2011 @ 7:40pm | Report comment
Dont get too down on the demons we had everything go right today.We kicked straight and could not do anything wrong.
July 30th 2011 @ 7:46pm
amazonfan said | July 30th 2011 @ 7:46pm | Report comment
Horrible. Absolutely horrible. I’m almost embarrassed to be a Demons supporter. I’m sorry, I’m just speechless.
July 30th 2011 @ 8:11pm
jack russell said | July 30th 2011 @ 8:11pm | Report comment
So looks like Melbourne has started tanking. Smart move. Seriously, melbourne supporters got the club out of a financial pickle, when will the club start to repay its supporters.
July 30th 2011 @ 8:13pm
The Cattery said | July 30th 2011 @ 8:13pm | Report comment
Not a good time to tank with GWS getting the pick of the draft later this year.
July 30th 2011 @ 9:10pm
amazonfan said | July 30th 2011 @ 9:10pm | Report comment
Not the number 1 priority pick. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/clubs-driven-by-full-tank/story-e6frf9jf-1226103900347
EDIT: you said this year, I was referring to next year.
July 30th 2011 @ 8:26pm
p.Tah said | July 30th 2011 @ 8:26pm | Report comment
This highlights what I’ve been saying since 1859. The Australian Rules football expansion policy is not working. It’s foolish for them to move into areas and plonk a team like the Demons into Melbourne… And now look the Demons are on the end of the second greatest loss of all time. AFL should stick to it’s heartlands
July 31st 2011 @ 6:53am
p.Tah said | July 31st 2011 @ 6:53am | Report comment
PS: this wasn’t a dig at the AFL… I was trotting out the response critics write when the Suns are on the wrong end of a blow out.
As embarrassing as this scoreline is, huge losses happened in every competition whether they are expanding or not. In Europe this would be a sign that the team is heading for relegation. Fortunately for the Suns, Demons,, Titans, Rebels et al they have the opportunity to regroup and redevelop. These sort of hammerings for established teams can be the wake up call that leads to a clean up of management, coaches and players. It’ll be interesting to see how the Demons react.
July 30th 2011 @ 8:32pm
Nathan of Perth said | July 30th 2011 @ 8:32pm | Report comment
Honestly, this should not be happening. If even salary cap and the draft system cannot stop this, maybe a second division is something we should be having a good, long think about.
The gap between Top 4 and Bottom 4 is just vast, and when moving to 18 teams…
Perhaps:
Two divisions of ten, bolstered by:
- A third Perth team
- A Tasmanian team, both of these to start in the second division
One promotion & relegation slot, Play-off/Play-out contest.
Remove the salary cap FLOOR, or at least cut it to something like 3m or 4m. Make up for financial problems in second division teams by altering the balance of the AFL team payments (ie, 2m to First Div, 8m to Second Div).
Maintain the draft system, from 10th Pl., 2nd Div, to 1st Pl., 1st Div, with a priority pick for the team being promoted and the one being relegated.
Don’t talk up First Div as the premier.
Potentially work with the State Leagues to furnish funds directly to help further aid player development.
Keep teams playing in a weight division where they have a chance of winning. Because Melbourne didn’t have a chance.
July 30th 2011 @ 9:09pm
Swampy said | July 30th 2011 @ 9:09pm | Report comment
Melbourne have had ample opportunity to fire dean Bailey – for numerous efforts like this over the past couple of seasons. Dees have been picking high, stockpiling talent for what seems like the best part of a decade. Whenever they show promise they fade and fade and make you wonder why you ever thought they might be good one day. One week ago there were only three coaches who refused to employ a forward press – Dean Bailey, Michael Voss & Neil Craig. Next week will there only be one?
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download The Roar’s iPhone App in the App Store here.
July 30th 2011 @ 10:04pm
brad said | July 30th 2011 @ 10:04pm | Report comment
Well, looks like AFL just reached learnt one of the lessons Rugby League learnt years ago. When you expand, you dilute the talent pool, you get what happened today. It’s only going to get worse as you get more teams.
July 30th 2011 @ 10:19pm
Nathan of Perth said | July 30th 2011 @ 10:19pm | Report comment
I just wish the Eagles would stop being the team to have the heartstopping results!
July 30th 2011 @ 11:09pm
jamesb said | July 30th 2011 @ 11:09pm | Report comment
swans are the same
July 31st 2011 @ 1:10pm
ac said | July 31st 2011 @ 1:10pm | Report comment
Too many teams in teh AFL for sure. Will become a common occurence i think.
July 31st 2011 @ 6:41pm
Qlder said | July 31st 2011 @ 6:41pm | Report comment
No point in over-reacting. Yes, it was dreadful by the Demons and brilliant by the Cats, but it was an aberration. This sort of result does not happen every week. With a young and relatively inexperienced team, Melbourne has been improving over the past couple of years. They are better placed now than on 2010. There’s nothing much wrong with the playing list, and to be honest they were never going to win that game. Take a deep breath, put it behind you, and learn that what Geelong did yesterday should be Melbourne’s aim in the near future.
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download The Roar’s iPhone App in the App Store here.
July 31st 2011 @ 9:34pm
The Cattery said | July 31st 2011 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
Hot off the press: Dean Bailey has been sacked:
http://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/articles/2011/07/31/dean-bailey-sacked-by-melbourne/
July 31st 2011 @ 9:36pm
The Cattery said | July 31st 2011 @ 9:36pm | Report comment
Two coaches down for the season. Who’s next?
July 31st 2011 @ 10:06pm
The Cattery said | July 31st 2011 @ 10:06pm | Report comment
Both the 10pm news report, and this Superfooty story, are using words like “it is believed” in relation to the Bailey story:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/melbourne-sack-dean-bailey-following-capitulation-to-geelong/story-e6frf9if-1226105579538
July 31st 2011 @ 10:08pm
The Cattery said | July 31st 2011 @ 10:08pm | Report comment
Only this morning Jon Anderson was speculating that Bailey would keep his job (not too sure how he came to that conclusion):
http://twitpic.com/5ysdhz
July 31st 2011 @ 10:09pm
The Cattery said | July 31st 2011 @ 10:09pm | Report comment
Jon Ralph says:
Why now for Bailey? Clearly the loss, but also because Adelaide will be hunting the same coaches they are in the market for
July 31st 2011 @ 10:10pm
The Cattery said | July 31st 2011 @ 10:10pm | Report comment
Anthony Leach asks:
@RalphyHeraldSun Does it place more pressure on the Dogs to sign Eade?
August 1st 2011 @ 1:09am
amazonfan said | August 1st 2011 @ 1:09am | Report comment
It may, however I’m more interested in a Clarkson, Malthouse, Williams, or Roos, than Eade. Eade’s a very good coach, and a particularly good development coach, however I’m not sure if that is what we are after.