For the second straight week, Geelong has suffocated a fellow top four team into oblivion, proving their premiership credentials.
The Cats dominated Port Adelaide from start to finish, flexing their might in the final quarter to blow the margin out to a massive 60 points.
The Power had one goal to their name deep into the third quarter, while Tom Hawkins proved uncontainable up the other end of the ground.
It was a statement win for the Cats, who move up to second on the ladder with a relatively easy run home to come.
Patrick Dangerfield’s multiple weeks playing mostly inside 50 are over, returning to the midfield and clearly being the dominant player in there. If it wasn’t for Hawkins domination, Dangerfield’s performance would be lauded as one of the best midfield efforts of 2020.
Here’s everything you need to know!
The Difference: Hawkins monsters Clurey
Tom Hawkins could have had eight goals to three quarter time.
Poor Tom Clurey was no match for the Geelong star all game, finding himself in one-on-one situations all game and proving he couldn’t match Hawkins for strength or on the lead. Tom Jonas was then switched onto the Tomahawk for no improvement.
Hawkins had 5.2 to three quarter time and gave an easy one away. On a night where fellow dominant key forward Charlie Dixon could not get near it, the big Cat made it look easy.
He finished with six goals and nine marks inside 50 (seven contested) and looks to be in career best form.
The Takeaway: Geelong’s backline was impenetrable
Port Adelaide kicked their second goal of the game with five minutes left in the third quarter from a free kick.
One of the best attacking teams in the competition, known for their individual stars inside 50 and their ability to lock the ball inside 50 could only manage 31 points.
This comes a week after the Cats did a similar thing to St Kilda, restricting them to just 34 points.
Whenever Port Adelaide got through Geelong’s high pressure midfield, their kicks forward went in Dixon’s direction, but he was flanked by two of Harry Taylor, Mark Blicavs, Tom Stewart or Lachie Henderson at all times.
Their wall of intercept marking defenders proved impenetrable all night as Port Adelaide’s only scoring came from the rare Geelong mistake. Of their four goals, two were from 50m penalties and one was from a free kick.
The question will be whether the Cats can do this when the whips are cracking in finals, though one has to wonder if Adelaide will score on them next round.
"Port Adelaide have looked second rate tonight... And right now Geelong are playing the best football they've played all season"
— AFL Nation (@AFLNation) August 14, 2020
- Jordan Lewis#AFLCatsPower
FULL SCORE
Geelong: 2.3, 4.3, 7.7, 14.7. (91)
Port Adelaide: 0.1, 1.6, 3.7, 4.7. (31)
GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 6, Rohan 3, Atkins, Guthrie, Fogarty, Menegola, Henderson
Port Adelaide: Georgiades, Lycett, Woodcock, Farrell
BEST
Geelong: Hawkins, Dangerfield, Taylor, Menegola, Blicavs, Guthrie, Stewart
Port Adelaide: Amon, Boak, Rockliff, Wines
Reports: Nil
Injuries
Geelong: Simpson (hamstring)
Port Adelaide: Nil