Geelong’s VFL team has bounced back with a dominant display against GWS on Saturday afternoon, storming away to claim a thumping 50-point victory over the Giants at ENGIE Stadium.
The Cats stunned the home side early with their intense pressure and accurate kicking, an eight goal second term helping Geelong to build an unassailable lead by half time as they went on to record their sixth win of the season.
Tobyn Murray had an incredible first half as he kicked five goals before the main break, while Jacob Molier put on a clinic in front of the big sticks booting four majors in only his second VFL game of the season.
Ted Clohesy continued his sensational run of form with another dominant performance against the Giants, collecting 31 disposals, nine tackles and 12 clearances as he had a telling hand around stoppages all day long.
Mitch Knevitt was equally impressive through the middle as he amassed 30 disposals, four contested marks and seven inside 50’s, a prime distributor in Geelong's ball movement throughout the afternoon.
Geelong started sprightly in the opening term, Keighton Matofai-Forbes helping to create repeat entries as the ball continued to find its way back into the Cats forward 50, eventually leading to Jay Polkinghorne kicking Geelong's first major.
Jacob Molier chimed in with his first goal in the Hoops, Tobyn Murray following suit shortly after as the Cats extended their lead, but two late goals for the Giants narrowed the margin to just five points at the first break.
Geelong made their big move in the second term as they piled on eight goals to two, storming to a 41 point lead at the main break on the back of a monumental period from the Cats midfield, who astonishingly won the clearance battle 19-3 in the second quarter alone.
Murray had the biggest impact on the scoreboard for the Cats, booting five majors in an instrumental first half while Mitch Edwards also kicked his first goal of the season after an impressive contested mark.
Geelong had dominated both the clearance battle and the inside 50 count (+15) during a terrific first half, highlighting the teams ability to create plenty of scoring opportunities from their work around stoppages.
Molier kicked off the third quarter with two goals in quick succession, triggering some goal-for-goal action as GWS fought hard to close the gap before the final quarter, but Geelong’s relentless attack kept the margin at 40 points heading into the final break.
The leadership pairing of Dan Capiron and Marcus Herbert picked off a combined 11 intercept possessions that disrupted many of the Giants attacking plays, while Jed Bews laid four tackles and tallied 13 disposals from deep in defence.
Clohesy continued Geelong’s run by kicking the first goal of the final term, which was quickly followed up by Oscar Pollock who slotted his first major in his VFL debut. Patrick Hughes later struck the final blow, as the Cats cruised to a comfortable 50-point win on the road.
Jhye Clark finished the match with 29 disposals and six intercepts, playing a crucial role in the second half as he forced numerous turnovers from GWS and helped to transition quickly to attack.
The VFL Cats will return take on Collingwood at Mission Whitten Oval next Saturday, which will be broadcast live and free on Channel 7 from 7.10pm AEST.
2025 VFL Season - Round 16
GWS GIANTS 2.3 4.5 8.7 9.11 (65)
GEELONG CATS 3.2 11.4 15.5 18.7 (115)
GOALS
GWS Giants: Gruzewski 4, Oliver, Lugsdin, Keeffe, Hebron, Gothard 1
Geelong Cats: Murray 5, Molier 4, Matofai-Forbes 2, Pollock, Polkinghorne, Hughes, Edwards, Clohesy, Burke, Ballantyne 1
DISPOSALS
GWS Giants: Fahey 30, Wehr 27, Montgomery 23, Coniglio 17
Geelong Cats: Clohesy 31, Knevitt, Clark 30, Retschko 28, Herbert 26, Bews 22
CLEARANCES
GWS Giants: McMullin, Madden 5, Delana 4
Geelong Cats: Clohesy 12, Knevitt 6, Murray, Ivisic 4
INTERCEPT POSSESSIONS
GWS Giants: Montgomery 12, Lewis-Smith, Hebron 6
Geelong Cats: Herbert 8, Clark, Bews 6
@ ENGIE Stadium, Sydney
