Geelong has pulled off an amazing comeback against Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium, overcoming a 23-point deficit at three-quarter time to win by two points thanks to a kick after the siren from Zach Tuohy.
The Cats looked all but out of the contest after a deplorable third term in which they conceded six goals, but the home side turned the tables in the fourth with eight final quarter majors to knock the Demons off.
Tom Hawkins starred on his 30th birthday with seven goals - four of which were kicked in the last quarter - while Tom McDonald was prolific with four of his own for the Dees.
The loss sees Melbourne remain in sixth position on the ladder, while Geelong advance to seventh and now sit equal with the Demons in terms of points.
It was a hot footy early, with the consequences of a loss ingrained in both sides' minds.
Both scoring two goals apiece for the term, the Cats and Demons were evenly matched in all other aspects of the quarter, resulting in a tantalisingly tight contest
Melbourne had the initial surge and kept Mark Blicavs busy in defence early, notching up three intercept marks in as many minutes and spoiling Tom McDonald's attempt at securing the first major of the match.
That honour ultimately fell upon Jeff Garlett just seconds later, who capitalised off the back of a dynamic Clayton Oliver forward half intercept.
With both sides refusing to concede an inch from that point on, a tense period of back and forth football ensued, filled with narrow misses and exciting passasges of play.
But despite the pressure exerted by both sides, the respective defences were the real highlight, both of which held firm and were able to transition the ball out of defence without so much as a hitch.
The seamless transitions worked wonders for ball-magnets Oliver and Patrick Dangerfield, who finished the term with 13 and 12 touches respectively and were integral in moving the ball forward in the contested affair.
Geelong were were rewarded with fluidity first, with a daring coast-to-coast team passage of play - accompanied by a glorious bump from Rhys Stanley - giving Tom Hawkins the first major for the home side.
McDonald finally secured the Demons' second from the goal square - albeit unconvincingly - as the visitors found some sleek movement of their own, but not before Jamaine Jones levelled the playing field with one of his own.
Both Geelong majors were set up by Daniel Menzel, who playing far from his usual forward position, was crucial in putting the home side on the board.
With just two points separating the two top-eight aspirants at quarter-time, the stage had been set for enthralling contest.
The second term lived up to the hype, with both teams once again tied up with three goals apiece and close to even on the field, despite Melbourne's forays forward increasing in both frequency and penetration.
Dangerfield's influence extended onto the scoreboard less than a minute into the term after a 21-disposal opening half, with his goal making it the third consecutive major for the Cats sourced from their back end.
Hawkins bucked the trend with a lucky boot-scraper on the goal line, before Angus Brayshaw connected with the whole of - and top of - his foot minutes later to once again bring the margin to just two points.
While Melbourne did little to harm their composure around the ball, a Dangerfield securing his second after nominating himself in the throw-in and subsequently being blocked by an unknowing Brayshaw.
The damage was undone with some Charlie Spargo brilliance from the pocket - with Tom Stewart hot on his heels - and Melbourne kicked into another gear as a result, peppering their forward 50 with repeat entries.
Despite the inside 50 count of 25-36 in favour of the Dees, the Cats absorbed the pressure as best they could, minimising the carnage as their opposition upped the ante in the latter stages of the term.
McDonald nevertheless broke through Geelong's defensive wall with a goal, placing the Demons five points in front at the major change.
Melbourne's continual harassment and intensifying pressure paid dividends in the third term, with their impressive six-goal term opening the Cats right up, despite them nailing three early majors.
Mitch Duncan once again got the Cats off to a flyer, slotting the first goal of the term after just a minute of play as the arm wrestle looked set to continue for yet another 30 minutes.
As Christian Petracca jagged his first just minutes later, it soon began raining goals down at Kardinia Park.
The quick flurry of majors showed no sign of relenting, as both sides exchanged goals through Hawkins, Nathan Jones and Jack Henry; all of which were kicked within the space of five minutes.
With Henry's first ever league goal marking the fifth lead change of the quarter, Jake Melksham soon made it six as Melbourne began to clamp down and lock the ball in the forward half of their ground.
From then on, the Geelong highlights reel became sparse as Melbourne made it a one-sided affair, dominating on the scoreboard as a result.
While not having much of the ball himself, James Harmes was a major player throughout, nullifying Joel Selwood in the first half before moving to Dangerfield and keeping him to just three touches for the quarter.
As the Demons continued to find plenty of uncontested ball and smack the Cats around the centre clearances (5-14), Jesse Hogan and Gawn made it three in a row for the visitors - the latter's coming from an off-the-ball bump involving Stewart.
With the Cats' defence under siege and the margin sitting at 18-points, the home side bungled several opportunities to move forward and were left to rue their missed opportunities as the deficit grew.
Melbourne conversely had no such problems breaking away through the centre of the ground, with Garlett once again getting on the end of some gut-busting run to extend their lead to 23 points at three-quarter time.
While it all seemed to be done and dusted for the Cats, a stirring final quarter resurgence saw the home side boot eight goals, with Zach Tuohy's kick after the siren gifting Geelong their 10th win of the season.
As McDonald put through his third goal at the two-minute mark of the term, the finals dream for Geelong seemed to be be slipping away.
But the Cats refused to bow out, stringing together a masterful performance to bring themselves right back into the contest, despite the odds stacked against them.
Winning the next five centre clearances, the Cats capitalised with the next five majors through Selwood, Tuohy and Hawkins, with the latter undoubtedly the pick of the bunch with three majors and taking his total to six straight.
With the blistering patch bringing Geelong within two points, Melbourne bought themselves some wriggle room with Melksham snapping the Cats' streak.
As Blicavs and Stewart held firm down back, the forward end benefited with Tim Kelly snapping a clutch goal to once again put the home side just two points down.
With Kelly dominating in the midfield, Gary Ablett rose to the occasion after an exceptionally quiet game, piecing together a masterful 14-disposal final term to will his side forward.
Despite their rampage showing no signs of slowing down, McDonald once again played spoiler with his fourth to put the margin back out to a heart-wrenching eight points.
But the Cats' hero in Hawkins stood to the plate, snapping his seventh with less than four minutes left to play to once again give his side a chance in clinching the lead.
Despite one late surge from Geelong, some superb play from Sam Frost in defence in the final minutes seemed to be enough to keep the Cats at bay as the game dwindled down to the final minute.
With the ball resting in Melbourne's defensive 50, one last roll of the dice and some a superb centring kick from Menzel found Hawkins, who quickly passed off to Tuohy just before the siren sounded.
Cool as ever, the Geelong defender became the biggest hero on the field as his kick sailed over the heads of the Demons; his kick giving the Cats a hard-earned two-point win.
Geelong will be back at GMHBA Stadium to face Brisbane next Saturday afternoon, while Melbourne will do battle with Adelaide on the latter's home deck in a week's time in what will effectively be a do-or-die clash.
GEELONG 2.1 5.3 8.4 16.4 (100)
MELBOURNE 2.3 5.8 11.9 14.14 (98)
GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 7, Dangerfield 2, Tuohy 2, Duncan, Henry, Kelly, Jones, J. Selwood
Melbourne: T. McDonald 4, Melksham 2, Garlett 2, Spargo, Jones, Petracca, Brayshaw, Gawn, Hogan
BEST
Geelong: Hawkins, Kelly, Dangerfield, Blicavs, Duncan, Stewart, Ablett, Tuohy
Melbourne: T. McDonald, Oliver, Jones, Lewis, Harmes, Brayshaw, Petracca
INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Melbourne: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. FINAL QUARTER MAGIC FROM THE CATS...
It was nothing short of extraordinary what the Cats were able to achieve in the final quarter, with eight goals undoing the Demons and giving Geelong their 10th win of the year.
The Cats lifted their intensity through the middle of the ground, with their midfield stars in Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett and Tim Kelly all piecing together breakout terms to overcome the 31-point deficit.
Winning five consecutive centre clearances and scoring five goals in a row as a result, Geelong raced away, with Tom Hawkins leading the charge with four majors in the last term.
Zach Tuohy capped off the stellar performance with his goal after the siren, leaving the Cats miraculously two points in front.
Nothing short of a magical effort from the Cats - and it's games such as these in which they can do the impossible which will have them compete come finals time.
2. ...AND FINAL QUARTER FAILURE FROM THE DEES
With one team's success often comes the failure of another, and in this case Melbourne were on the receiving end.
It's nothing short of devastating for the Demons, who squandered an opportunity to solidify a top-four spot, but it was a ultimately a scenario which could have - and should have - been avoided.
The Demons held a 23-point advantage at three-quarter time, and in the first few minutes of the final term led by 31 points.
But the visitors crumbled, conceding five straight goals and losing their grip on their centre clearance dominance, only winning the count 13-15 by the end of the match.
Woeful kicking once again unravelled the Demons, who kicked 14 behinds - five of which went through in the final term - but their inability to match their opposition's aggression was their ultimate undoing.
It's raw now, but it will hurt much more later on down the track.
Each win is now a must.
3. SEVEN FOR TOMAHAWK IN BIRTHDAY BASH
Friends and family of Tom Hawkins should stop looking for a memorable birthday present, because the Tomahawk got all he could have ever wished for tonight.
Finishing with seven straight goals, Hawkins was absolutely unstoppable up forward, with his presence at the ball and unwavering accuracy a constant thorn in the Demons' defence.
The 30-year-old saved his best until last, booting four in the final quarter to steer his side to an incredible victory and twice bringing his side within two points.
Prolific both up the ground (19 disposals) and closer to home up forward, Hawkins has arguably been in the form of his career, currently sitting on 41 majors and kicking multiple goals in every game since round nine.
Happy Birthday Tom!
4. LAST-MINUTE ANTICS
The Cats must love living on the edge, or must want Chris Scott to go bald.
Several times this season, Geelong have let their victory be determined in the final seconds of the game, with several results being decided after the siren.
The blue and white have been blessed with fortunate misses in their clash against Melbourne in round one,
Call it luck, call it an inability to get a solid win or call it sheer talent to win no matter the circumstances.
Four points is four points, doesn't matter how they come.
5. GAWN AT A CRUCIAL TIME
With 1:13 left on the clock and four points separating the two sides, every touch, set-up and passage of play was nothing short of golden.
But the Dees were dealt a massive blow, with Max Gawn forced from the field with the blood rule and left to watch the play unfold from the interchange bench.
The Cats ended up clearing the ball from the next boundary throw-in, with Zach Tuohy eventually kicking the match-winning goal after the siren.
It's out of his hands, but one can't help wonder if Gawn could have been the difference if he had been on the field for that final passage of play.
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