Led by a stunning virtuoso performance from star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield, the Geelong Cats recorded an excellent 31-point victory over top side North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
RE-LIVE ALL THE ACTION WITH OUR LIVE BLOG
Dangerfield finished with an astonishing 48 possessions including 23 contested, 13 marks and 13 clearances.
The highlight was an extraordinary passage late in the last quarter that saw Dangerfield start the attack from half-back. After hand balling to Steven Motlop, Dangerfield out sprinted forward to receive the pass, and kick a goal from 40 metres out – an extraordinary effort after the ground he’d already covered for the game.
He was ably supported by his partner in crime Joel Selwood who finished with 38 touches. The two combined to account for half of the Cats’ clearances. Zac Smith in the ruck also performed well against Todd Goldstein, who seemed off his game.
The Cats started the game better and controlled it for most of the game except the second quarter which saw the Roos kick six goals as they enjoyed their best period of the game.
The Roos pressure lifted as they continually launched attacks from half-back and veteran Brent Harvey was using all his guile to create space in the forward line, kicking four first half goals all from marks inside forward 50.
The Cats looked like they missed big Tom Hawkins as they wasted opportunities and lacked a focal point.
That all changed in the third quarter where the Cats set up victory with five quick goals in the opening eleven minutes, again led by Dangerfield who racked up ten possessions in the opening 15 minutes of the quarter.
Shane Kersten and Daniel Menzel were superb up forward kicking five goals between them for the quarter. Kersten finished the game with three goals but had a hand in several others. Menzel was mercurial with four goals.
For the Roos, it was a courageous effort for most of the night as they were hampered by injuries to key players. Captain Andrew Swallow suffered concussion in the first quarter and was not seen again. Ben Cunnington copped a corked thigh early and battled on but was clearly effected. Nick Dal Santo also battled with a groin injury.
Daniel Wells and Sam Gibson tried hard all night and Robbie Tarrant continued his good form in defence. Their tall forwards struggled all night against the Cats’ experienced defence, but also through lack of opportunities. In the end North just couldn’t keep up the pressure, and were overrun in the second half.
Final score
Geelong Cats 15.15.105
North Melbourne Kangaroos 12.2.74
The Roar’s AFL MVP votes
3. Patrick Dangerfield (Geel) – no brainer here, just continually won the ball and used well. Work rate was extraordinary. Dominated like no player has for a long time.
2. Joel Selwood (Geel) – worked superbly with Dangerfield and they accounted for half of Cats’ clearances.
1. Shane Kersten (Geel) – could have given this vote to a number of Cats – Taylor, Menzel, Smith – but the Cats were struggling up forward until late in the second quarter when Kersten started to become influential. Kicked three in the third quarter onslaught and had a hand in a couple of others, including a clever tap to Menzel.
hal
Guest
Great win last night. Three brownlow votes for Dangerfield with his 48 disposals. Selwood was also pivotal. Together Selwood and Dangerfield had close to 90 possessions. This combination could take Geelong deep into the finals and hopefully to the premiership. Smith has improved as the season has progressed. Last week he did a great job on Mumford and last night he was able to quell Goldstein's influence. Objectively speaking Goldstein still isn't 100%. Perhaps North should have played Daw instead. Kersten and Menzel were amongst the best. Kersten is a great set shot and certainly filled the void left by Hawkins' suspension. Motlop's soccer goal was the icing on the cake and a was a nice to celebrate his 100th game. Why did Brad Scott take Boomer off in the second term just after he kicked his third goal? There was a momentum shift after this. Even though we kicked behind after behind straight after, we started to get on top. Good to see Bartel kick a couple of goals. He has seven for the season. Last year he kicked none. Harry Taylor is back to his best and held up well in defense last night. I feel the play of the night was when Dangerfield ran the ball out of defense sparking a Geelong run on and his gut running enabled him to sprint up forward, mark, and goal. He finished off what he started. He was goaless for five weeks before last night.
RooBoy18
Roar Rookie
As a North fan last night's result was disappointing, but it makes no real difference to our finals chances. Losing Swallow(one of our engines) for most of the game really was a huge handicap, add to the fact that Dal Santo and Cunnington were severely handicapped then we were basically fighting to stay in the game. When Dangerfield stepped up to play a blinder then we did well to be in the game up until the final quarter. Once Jacobs and Higgins return in 4-6 weeks we will be able to plug the gaps that were exploited by Sydney and Geelong. North tend to finish strongly and if we can somehow mange to win 2 of the next 3 games then we should go one better in 2016. I also think that North could meet Sydney or Geelong in the finals again and having the underdog status will suit North well in the intense media scrutiny of finals.
Bill
Guest
Well five injures was never gonna help us. In 2014/2015 we would have lost that game by 70+ points.
Michael Huston
Guest
It's almost as if Dangerfield heard me declare Hannebery the best midfielder in the competition and he was out to prove me wrong. This was absolutely ridiculous to watch. Very rarely do you see a player just do so much, so right, so often. I also really don't know where this places North. I think despite them being top of the ladder, when against quality opposition, they've often looked no better than in 2014 and 2015.