A classy Geelong outfit has closed out its 2018 home and away season in emphatic style, obliterating Gold Coast by 102 points at GMHBA Stadium.
While another 23-goal streak eluded the Cats, Chris Scott's men managed to secure its second triple-figure win of the season, with the 22.10 (142) scoreline just 16 points behind their impressive 133-point dismantling of Fremantle last week.
Patrick Dangerfield was integral in the total annihilation, finishing with 34 disposals, six clearances and four goals, while the defensive duo of Tom Stewart (13 marks) Mark Blicavs (16 disposals) were prolific for most of the day.
Michael Barlow (35 disposals) was a class above his fellow Suns, yet the visitors managed to only secure the five goals for the afternoon, much of which was attributed to their 34 inside 50s against Geelong's 56.
In one of the only sour notes for the Cats, Tom Hawkins was kept to just the two goals for the afternoon, with the star forward unable to reduce the deficit between himself and Coleman leader, Jack Riewoldt.
Geelong currently sit in seventh position on the ladder with an added 5.9 percentage points, with its opponent for next fortnight's elimination final to be determined in the coming days.
With another percentage boost clearly on their minds, the Cats got off to an ideal four-goal start, despite the Suns being in the thick of the contest with two of their own.
Sam Menegola got the ball rolling for the home side, before the Suns' initial pressure stifled their early scoring for the next 10 minutes.
A knee injury to Jack Leslie in the opening stages did little to help the Suns however, with the big-bodied defender forced from the field, leaving Steven May with the sole responsibility of minimising the influence of Tom Hawkins.
With Alex Sexton kicking true to keep the Suns within the fight, Hawkins' first followed soon after, before the Cats made the Gold Coast defenders look like witches hats, with Daniel Menzel and Menegola taking their side's tally to four goals.
While Brad Scheer converted amid the run of majors, Geelong's forward half dominance stood marked, despite the visitors putting up a commendable effort thanks to their intensity around the contest.
It was unable to quell the likes of Joel Selwood (10 touches) and Dangerfield (nine) however, with a series of late misses seeing the margin sit at 17 points at the first change.
From there however, the floodgates opened, with Geelong piling on a remarkable eight goals to one in the second quarter as their class continued to outshine that of their opposition,
Right from the get-go, the Cats' efficiency and ball use was evident, with some amazing marking skills from Jack Henry and Ryan Abbott putting Geelong on the board early, with the latter capitalising with the term's opening goal.
As Jordan Murdoch, Blicavs and Tim Kelly soon joined the party, Geelong's aggression and precision continued to manifest, with the Suns left in their wake as the goals kept on coming.
Geelong's ability to generate repeated entries inside forward 50 (34-11 at half-time) was primarily due to the intercepting efforts of Stewart and Blicavs, who effortlessly thwarted the Suns' movement out of the back end.
Hawkins continued to be a hot target up forward, yet despite coming close to clunking several marks up forward, the defensive efforts of May kept the Geelong star quiet on the scoreboard.
With Gary Ablett's pair of majors reminding his former side of his explosive tendencies, the margin continued to balloon to embarrassing proportions as Murdoch and Menzel each took their tally to two.
As Josh Schoenfeld somewhat stemmed the flow, the deficit nevertheless sat at a whopping 60 points at half-time, with Geelong still intent on increasing its percentage.
An impressive five-goal haul catapulted the Cats further in front during the third term, yet their skills and intensity was a shadow of that seen in the preceding quarter.
While the scoring was just shy of the amount seen in the second term, the Cats nevertheless held a distinct advantage over their inexperienced opposition.
Despite Geelong's intensity dipping in the opening half of the quarter, the Suns failed to regain some respectability on the scoreboard, with three successive misses preventing them from cutting back the margin.
As Scott Selwood punished Gold Coast's inaccuracy with one of his own, Hawkins remained afloat in the Coleman race, putting through his second to kickstart Geelong's surge forward.
With the Cats beginning to find their feet again - with a massive Henry fly marking his side's turning point - Dangerfield reignited the spark with his first major after three behinds, before Kelly jagged Geelong's seventh consecutive goal,
Although the scoreboard continued to grow uglier, as did the Cats' defensive exits, with Chris Scott left livid after Brayden Crossley cut off a lazy kick-out to put through the Suns' first of the term.
Dangerfield perhaps minimised the ferocity of the potential spray with his second goal moments later, putting the Cats 78 points in front at three-quarter time.
Scott's words must have had an influence on the blue and white men, with five final quarter majors closing the game out in brilliant style.
Dangerfield rectified his earlier misses with back-to-back majors, with both coming off the back of superb clearance work and blistering run through the middle of the ground,
The Brownlow medallist continued to have his influence, with a deft handball out of congestion gifting Zach Tuohy his first of the afternoon, with the margin now looming below the ominous triple figures.
It would be Kelly's third which tipped Geelong over, before the Cats' brilliant display continued with Mitch Duncan rounding off proceedings with his side's final major.
A miracle bounce from the pocket gave Jarryd Lyons a late goal, yet it was the only one to interrupt the Cats'flow, with the final margin sitting at a staggering 102 points.
Geelong will now wait to see who their opponent will be in next fortnight's elimination final, with the candidate likely to be determined in Sunday's clash between Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney.
GEELONG 4.6 12.8 17.8 22.10 (142)
GOLD COAST 2.1 3.2 4.8 5.10 (40)
GOALS Geelong: Dangerfield 4, Kelly 3, Hawkins 2, Ablett 2, Menzel 2, Menegola 2, Murdoch 2, Abbott, S. Selwood, Duncan, Blicavs, Tuohy Gold Coast: Sexton, Lyons, Crossley, Scheer, Schoenfeld
BEST
Geelong: Dangerfield, Blicavs, Stewart, Kelly J. Selwood, Ablett, S. Selwood Gold Coast: Barlow, Bowes, Harbrow, Fiorini, May
INJURIES
Geelong: Guthrie (thigh) Gold Coast: Ainsworth (hip) replaced in the selected side by Schoenfeld, Leslie (knee)
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