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A dominant first half steered Geelong to a 70-point win over North Melbourne in Saturday’s AFL game at Skilled Stadium, the Cats’ eighth victory in succession.
The Cats booted 10 of the first 11 goals of the game to the halfway point of the second quarter and their 18.11 (119) to 7.7 (49) win kept them unbeaten and regained top spot on the ladder.
Midfielder Jimmy Bartel kicked three goals in a 34-disposal game, Shannon Byrnes also booted three, Steve Johnson was a constant danger across half-forward despite not scoring a goal and Andrew Mackie capped a fine game at half-back with two long bombs in the second quarter.
In defence Matthew Scarlett and Harry Taylor enjoyed trouble-free days, Cameron Ling kept North veteran Adam Simpson quiet and kicked a nice goal on the run in the final quarter, and James Kelly finished with a game-high 36 disposals.
Geelong started slowly, but established a decent lead through the last four goals of the first quarter, booted in a burst of 10 minutes.
The second term produced a similar take, as the Cats slammed through the first five, in 10 minutes, and David Wojcinski’s long goal on the run gave them a whopping 64-8 lead.
But North battled hard just before half-time and in the third quarter, and at least held their own on the scoreboard for the rest of the game, despite Geelong’s overwhelming dominance in the possession count, which they won 467-322.
Geelong’s win came again despite the absence of Gary Ablett (adductor) and half-forward Paul Chapman, who withdrew before the game with a back injury.
Defender Darren Milburn also spent most of the game on the bench, as he left the ground early with a leg injury.
But North also felt the brunt of injuries, as the withdrawals of Daniel Wells (hip) and Brady Rawlings (calf) denied them of some skill in the centre and their best run-with player.
North’s best players included acting captain Drew Petrie, young midfielder Ben Ross and ruckman Hamish McIntosh, who booted two goals.
Geelong play the Western Bulldogs in round nine while North take on Fremantle.
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