The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

Highlights: Ruthless Geelong crush Melbourne in Paul Roos' final game

Jimmy Bartel has retired. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
27th August, 2016
1

In their final match of the 2016 home-and-away season, the Geelong Cats have flexed their muscles, beating the Melbourne Demons in a 111-point massacre at Domain Stadium.

» Re-live all the action with our live blog

Patrick Dangerfield delivered yet another dominant performance which included an incredible 16 inside-50s, making him the all-time leader in that category for a single season. Tom Hawkins also had a day out, kicking a bag of six goals, while Daniel Menzel contributed four.

The win, along with Adelaide’s loss last night, locks the Cats in the top two, meaning they will host a preliminary final in Melbourne, most likely against fierce rivals Hawthorn.

From the opening bounce the Cats were sensational, relentlessly harder at the contests than the Demons and exquisite with ball in hand. It was a terrible way for the Melbourne Football Club to send off Paul Roos, especially after a season filled with so much excitement and promise.

Geelong dominated the statistical categories that win games of football – crushing the Demons at stoppages and contested ball situations. There were patches where Melbourne struggled to compete at all against the ruthless Cats, coming undone as the margin spiralled out of reach.

Plenty of Cats yet to cement their place in the side made their claims be known today – not least of all Sam Menegola, who kicked three goals and gathered 27 touches. Josh Cowan put in another impressive performance, laying a whopping 10 tackles throughout the afternoon.

While the majority of Melbourne players were soundly beaten, Christian Salem and Angus Brayshaw competed well all day in the toughest of situations. Melbourne will finish the season tenth on the ladder, and despite today’s embarrassing collapse should look on this season as a definite step forward in their progress.

Despite shaky moments throughout the season, Geelong now looks as well-placed as any side to take home the 2016 premiership.

Advertisement

With the best player in the competition in their arsenal, a handful of experienced stars and plenty of raw talent, they can sometimes look irresistible.

If today’s effort was a preview of what is about to be on display over the next month, it’s going to mighty hard to stop the Cats from taking home that cup in October.

The Roar’s AFL MVP votes

3 – Patrick Dangerfield
2 – Tom Hawkins
1 – Joel Selwood

close