Geelong has escaped with victory in an entertaining Sunday night clash, pulling away with a blistering final quarter to defeat West Coast by 43 points at Optus Stadium on Sunday night.
In a see-sawing affair, the Cats were tested for much of the night before putting the foot down in the final term, booting seven of the last eight goals to secure their eighth win of the season.
Bailey Smith was immense through the middle finishing with a game-high 38 disposals, adding eight score involvements and five clearances in a sensational display.
Gryan Miers (26 disposals, 13 marks, two goals) was instrumental all night, as was Max Holmes (27 disposals, 853 metres gained) with his run and carry, while Tyson Stengle (two goals, seven score involvements) dominated in the forward half.
Well held for a large portion of the game, Jeremy Cameron made his presence felt late as he booted the final four goals of the game to help Geelong secure the win.
Geelong controlled proceedings extraordinarily well in the opening term as they dominated every facet of the game, building a healthy 17-point buffer at the first break despite some inaccurate finishing around goal.
Bailey Smith brought his own footy collecting 15 disposals in the first term, Gryan Miers booted two goals while Tyson Stengle started strongly in the forward half, kicking a major and dishing off two goal assists.
The game continued to flow the Cats way in the second term as they extended the margin out to 29 points early, but a dramatic shift in momentum saw the Eagles roar back into the contest, trimming Geelong's lead to just 11 points at the main break.
Smith capped off a scintillating half of football finishing with a whopping 25 disposals, also adding five clearances, six score involvements and a goal.
Max Holmes' run and carry was also influential, amassing 737 metres gained with his 18 disposals in the opening half, while Miers collected 10 disposals at 100% efficiency to go with his two majors.
The back and forth contest continued after half time, Geelong booted the opening two goals of the third term before the Eagles pegged the margin back once again, the Cats lead remaining at 11 points heading into the last quarter.
Shaun Mannagh got busy across half forward collecting seven disposals and a goal in the third stanza, Tom Atkins also upped the ante through the middle with seven possessions and three tackles.
Geelong continued to be tested in a tense final term, but the Cats had all the answers when it mattered most.
After the Eagles booted the first major of the quarter, Geelong then found three unanswered goals through Ollie Dempsey, Tyson Stengle and Rhys Stanley to build a handy buffer with time ticking down.
Jeremy Cameron then stamped his authority and booted four consecutive goals to seal the deal, as the Cats pulled away to record an important 43 point win over the Eagles on Sunday night.
Connor O'Sullivan was important in the final term picking off three intercept possessions, while Rhys Stanley had a number of crucial moments finishing with 12 hit-outs and two clearances when the game was on the line.
Geelong return home next week as they prepare for another big clash, taking on the Gold Coast Suns at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
2025 AFL Season - Round 12
WEST COAST 2.0 7.2 9.4 11.7 (73)
GEELONG CATS 4.5 8.7 10.9 17.14 (116)
GOALS
West Coast: Allen 4, Williams 2, Ryan, Reid, Long, Kelly, Hewett 1
Geelong Cats: Cameron 5, Miers, O.Henry, Stengle 2, Smith, Neale, Mannagh, Close, Dempsey, Stanley 1
BEST
West Coast: Reid, Allen, Baker, Kelly, Hewett
Geelong: Smith, Miers, Holmes, Stewart, Mannagh
DISPOSALS
West Coast: Baker 29, Cole 24, Duggan 23, Hewett 20, Reid, Graham, Kelly 19
Geelong Cats: Smith 38, Holmes 27, Miers 26, O'Sullivan 20, Duncan 19, Mannagh, Stewart, Stengle 18
SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Bo Allan (replaced Ryan Maric in the fourth quarter)
Geelong Cats: Ted Clohesy (replaced Rhys Stanley in the fourth quarter)
CROWD: TBC @ Optus Stadium
