Geelong has catapulted themselves into the top-four with an impressive 42-point victory over Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium, with Tom Hawkins leading the charge with seven majors.
The Geelong powerhouse was certainly the star of the afternoon, capping off his impressive haul with 22 disposals and placing himself in second position on the Coleman Medal leaderboard in the process.
Gary Ablett also continued to shine at his brilliant best, finishing with 38 disposals and undoubtedly owning the midfield in front of the Kardinia Park faithful.
Brisbane certainly agitated Geelong and kept up with them on the scoreboard for much of the first half, but their inability to match their opposition's tempo and make them pay for their skill errors ended up being their downfall.
It was the visitors who looked to shake up the home side to begin the critical affair for the Cats, as the Lions took control of the ball early with Daniel McStay scoring the first major of the term.
Although the Cats quickly responded with a goal of their own to Brandon Parfitt, it was one of the few clean passages of play in the opening stages of the game.
Overall, it was a particularly messy quarter, with both sides struggling to effectively use the ball, but thanks to the efforts of Hawkins, Geelong managed to steer themselves in the right direction.
Despite Cameron Rayner snatching back the lead just moments later, the highlight for the Lions was undoubtedly their defensive pressure, which ultimately created lots of options through the corridor
Yet the young Lions were being unable to fully seize the opportunities presented to them due to wayward kicking in front of goal, and as the experience of the Cats began to shine, the home side managed to bring the scores level at quarter-time..
Knowing the stakes were high and a position in the top-eight hung in the balance, the Cats came out firing from the get-go in the second term, but the Lions continued to create headaches for Geelong, preventing them from entering their forward 50 with any great penetration.
Dayne Zorko turned the headache into a migraine after kicking the first major of the term.
But despite the initial flair from the Lions, Ablett continued to dominate the centre of the ground; his assists across the field and all-round composure resulting in goals to Jack Henry and Hawkins as the Cats started to find their momentum.
Although Brisbane continued to fight their way back and levelled the scores for the third time through Lewis Taylor, the Lions failed to punish Geelong for the skill errors, with Henry instead putting through his his second.
Despite McStay’s quick reply, Scott Selwood and Hawkins converted minutes before half-time gave the Cats a steady 11-point lead heading into the second half.
Another four Geelong goals in the third quarter only extended the lead further, with Brisbane only putting through two of their own as the Cats continued to rise.
Geelong started the second half much like they ended the previous term, with Cam Guthrie opening up proceedings within minutes, before Hawkins went back-to-back to take his tally to five.
Patrick Dangerfield similarly came to the fore, with his pace and explosive finishes helping the Cats transition the ball into their forward 50 with relative ease.
The Lions seemed to lose their drive as a result, and were unable to find an answer to Geelong’s dominant forward structure, despite the inclusions of Luke Hodge and Harris Andrews.
But Dayne Beams, who served as the Lions' backbone for the entire afternoon, breathed some life back into his side with a goal before Nick Robertson similarly converted to give Brisbane a sniff at a fightback.
The Cats however were relentless, as Daniel Menzel scored Geelong’s fourth goal for the term to take the margin to 24 points at three-quarter time.
Geelong continued to cruise through the final term, booting seven goals against the Lions' four, earning themselves handy percentage points in the process.
As Henry jagged his third, all hope seemed lost for the Lions, yet the visitors nevertheless managed to find breaks in Geelong's defensive structures, with Allen Christensen capitalising in one last-ditch effort to keep his side alive.
But ss Hawkins and Scott Selwood cemented two more goals, a win seemed inevitable.
Geelong continued to lay the goals on through Hawkins and Menzel and despite one final surge through Eric Hipwood, Mitch Robinson and Jake Barrett, it proved to be too late as the Cats took home a 42-point victory.
Geelong will look to continue to keep their final hopes alive as they take on reigning premiers in Richmond next Friday at the MCG, while Brisbane will look to redeem themselves against North Melbourne at the 'Gabba on Saturday afternoon.
GEELONG 2.4 7.6 11.11 18.11 (120)
BRISBANE 2.4 5.7 7.9 11.12 (78)
GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 7, Menzel 3, Henry 3, S.Selwood 2, Guthrie, Parfitt, Menegola
Brisbane: McStay 2, Barrett, Robinson, Hipwood, Christensen, Robertson, Beams, Taylor, Zorko, Rayner
BEST
Geelong: Hawkins, Ablett, Dangerfield, Parfitt, S. Selwood
Brisbane: Beams, Zorko, Taylor, Gardiner, Hipwood
INJURIES
Geelong: Tom Stewart (ankle)
Brisbane: Nil
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