With help from the Cats roaring fans, Saturday night’s epic collision lived up to all expectations, as both teams used every ounce of sweat to help secure their upcoming finals' campaign.

And if anyone felt the brunt of Round 20’s rivalry clash it was Geelong defender Andrew Mackie, who turned the pressure on early and delivered two goals in the opening half before receiving a heavy knock to the head.

“It was a fierce game, both sides needed to win,” Mackie told Cats TV minutes after the two-point win.  

However, in the end, it was the thunderous crowd filling Simonds Stadium that really pushed Geelong towards the win.

“Obviously we’re all trying to set up top four positions and it was a massive fight and you felt it out there… and the supporters were great tonight and it really helped playing down here,” Mackie said.

Although the Cats retained their record of not losing a game in their home state, Mackie says this week will be spent focusing on areas that let them down to ensure their winning streak continues.

“All in all we needed the win we got it… there are a lot of learning points to come out of the game… mainly those stoppages late in the game that we can fix up,” Mackie explained.

Another highlight from Saturday’s heart-stopping contest was Harry Taylor’s outstanding performance in the backline.

The 28-year old took a career high of 19 marks along with 27 disposals.

“His intercept marking is second to none, he’s a super player and we all love playing with him and he’s in some really good form,” Mackie said.

Jared Rivers, who delivered 18 disposals and 11 marks, was also a key standout in defence, especially when it came to setting up Mitch Duncan for the Cats last and winning goal.

“It was match defining really, it was a time of the game where they (Fremantle) were out and it was really good play, he’s been great for us all year and once again did a great thing for the team.”

Despite receiving a hefty knock to the head, Mackie insists he’ll be fine to play against Carlton on Friday night.   
“A bit of a shock to the head but I’ll be right.”

Click on the video above to hear more from Andrew Mackie after Saturday night’s win.