Classy Geelong Cats thump GWS Giants by 61 points
Greater Western Sydney took on Geelong as AFL premiership contenders, but left Kardinia Park exposed as pretenders after copping a 61-point belting.
The Cats never really hit top gear in front of 25,079 fans on Friday night, but were far too good for the disappointing Giants, cruising to a 14.9 (93) to 4.8 (32) win.
GWS have suffered larger losses in their seven-year history, but their three-quarter time score of 2.7 was their lowest since joining the AFL.
Dylan Shiel (32 possessions) and Stephen Coniglio (28) battled hard for the Giants, but coach Leon Cameron would be bitterly disappointed with the listless performance.
In stark contrast, Cats coach Chris Scott had contributors across every line.
External Link: Geelong v GWS Summary
Mitch Duncan (33 disposals), Joel Selwood (25) and Tim Kelly (30) led the way in the middle.
Patrick Dangerfield spent plenty of time inside attacking 50 and finished with 26 touches and two goals.
Tom Hawkins was the most dangerous forward on the ground, kicking four goals.
But the big Cat faces a nervous wait after he made contact with an umpire after he clattered into Nick Haynes in the second quarter.
Both sides were undermanned, with Geelong missing the likes of Gary Ablett, Daniel Menzel and Harry Taylor and the Giants without stars Jeremy Cameron, Brett Deledio, Toby Greene and Josh Kelly.
External Link: Geelong v GWS Stats
Cameron's men started each of the two first quarters brightly enough but could not hit the scoreboard.
The Cats did not have the same problem when they wrested back momentum, with Hawkins booting two goals as his side bounced out to a 19-point quarter-time lead.
Stewart Crameri, whose first game for Geelong was also his 100th senior AFL appearance, was mobbed by his teammates when he kicked the last goal of the first half with his first kick of the night.
The home side were 27 points up when the second half got underway and put the contest out of reach for the visitors with a five-goals-to-nil third term.
Jeremy Finlayson booted two goals in the last quarter, but it was little consolation for the well-beaten Giants.
The Cats suffered a blow with Zac Smith a late withdrawal with a back injury, the ruckman replaced by Rhys Stanley.
Geelong move on to face Collingwood at the MCG in round eight, while GWS will host West Coast in Homebush.
External Link: AFL 2018 ladder
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