A FAST-FINISHING Geelong has overcome both Essendon and its own inaccuracy, kicking five last-quarter goals to record a 12-point win in the AAMI Community Series.
Compounding Essendon's fadeout was a right quad injury to important playmaker Jordan Ridley in the third term, while Mason Redman sat out the last quarter as the Cats got on a roll.
It looked as if the Bombers were going to make a statement with a strong pre-season win, but ran out of puff as the inaccurate Cats finally found the middle of the sticks to pull clear in the 11.17 (83) to 10.11 (71) result.
The Bombers moved the ball with pace on the ball in the first half, quickly swinging the footy from half-back to half-forward with low, flat kicks, and finding plenty of targets in attack.
Max Holmes (29 disposals) was outstanding for Geelong, whether charging up the wing, playing on the ball or even jumping the fence to track down a stray footy, while versatile veterans Mitch Duncan and Mark Blicavs also spent some time in the middle.
CATS v BOMBERS Full match coverage and stats
But on the whole, Essendon's midfield was much sharper for the first three quarters, Zach Merrett (25 touches) and Darcy Parish (34) in fine touch after strong summers, with Sam Durham and Will Setterfield providing grunt at the coalface.
Despite Geelong struggling to get its hands on the footy, it remained in touch on the scoreboard. At half-time, the Bombers had eight players in the top-10 disposal tally, but led by just three points.
Essendon jumped out to a 14-point lead, after which Geelong continued to chip away, but did it in agonising fashion, one behind at a time.
Kyle Langford picked up from where he left off last year, proving to be a constant threat in attack with three goals, while Nic Martin (28) pushed forward to land two of his own.
Young key forward Shannon Neale continues to make a strong impression with his strong hands and agility and Tyson Stengle was sharp from the opening bounce, kicking three and providing plenty of defensive hustle throughout.
New faces
Essendon had a host of recruits take to the field. Todd Goldstein played with his customary determination in the ruck and while Ben McKay didn't win a heap of the ball, he provided a strong presence against the Tom Hawkins-Jeremy Cameron combination. Xavier Duursma found plenty of the footy, but looked much better on the wing than when folding back in defence, coughing up two direct goals with panicked moments. Jade Gresham bobbed up on a few occasions, while at the other end of the field, mature-age draftee Shaun Mannagh kicked a beautiful spinning goal in the fourth, playing a half of footy.
Round one chance
Nik Cox and Zach Reid played in key defensive roles, and read the ball well, but were occasionally out-muscled by their much more experienced opponents. Elijah Tsatas didn't get much midfield time, given the stacked Bombers engine room, but used the ball neatly on the wing. Ollie Dempsey looks likely to lock up a forward role for the Cats, playing with smarts and composure in the first half, but Shannon Neale may be squeezed out if Ollie Henry (ankle) or Gary Rohan (back) are right to go. Jhye Clark wasn't the biggest ball-winner, but his agility and speed at stoppages caught the eye.
GEELONG 3.3 6.9 6.15 11.17 (83)
ESSENDON 4.4 7.6 9.7 10.11 (71)
GOALS
Geelong: Stengle 3, Hawkins, Stewart, Neale, Holmes, Mannagh, Miers, Dempsey, Close
Essendon: Langford 3, Martin 2, Gresham 2, Stringer, Parish, Hind
BEST
Geelong: Holmes, Stengle, Blicavs, Dempsey, Clark, Henry
Essendon: Merrett, Parish, Martin, Langford, McGrath
