There will be plenty of pleasing takeaways to come from Friday night's performance for the Cats, but perhaps the most exciting aspect was Geelong's ability to find multiple avenues to goal in another high-scoring outing. 

The standout was Shannon Neale who tore the game apart in the opening half, kicking four goals by the main break and finishing the night with five, continuing a strong 2026 season for the big Cat. 

But there was no shortage of offensive output, Ollie Henry entering the line-up as a late inclusion and making his presence felt with four majors, while Oli Wiltshire matched his career-high with three goals. 

The Cats finished the night with eight individual goal-kickers, reaching 100 points or more for the 11th time this year and looking potent in attack. 

While he could have been excused for enjoying his own performance, Neale said that it is a full-team approach and a buy in from every forward that has helped Geelong to remain dangerous in front of the big sticks. 

"I think I got asked earlier, am I the number one man?" Neale told Cats Media. 

"I am not really a me, me, me sort of guy. I don't really want to look at it as my forward line, I want to look at it as our forward line.

"We had a few guys kick a nice little bag tonight, which is great to see. Oli Wiltshire showed up, Ollie Henry showed up, Gryan Miers, Brad Close, Shaun Mannagh kicking it in, they were all phenomenal.

"Obviously it is nice to get on the end of a few, but I am more team focused and wanted to get the win tonight. Super pleased with that."

Geelong's 20-point victory over Melbourne was pivotal in the context of the season, with just one game now separating fifth down to eighth position on the ladder in a tight race for the top six. 

The win was set up by a dominant second term from the Cats as they piled on seven goals, clinching the lead early in the quarter and never relinquishing it in a sensational display. 

The potency inside 50 was set-up in particular by the delivery from Brad Close and Shaun Mannagh, who finished the night with 15 score involvements between them and helped to pinpoint targets in Geelong's attacking half. 

Neale touched on the importance of Geelong's small forwards following the win.  

"It is unreal," Neale said when asked about their impact. 

"They see the game in such a unique way, which is great for us.

"We mentioned last week when those guys came back, that there was a bit of a band back together vibe.

"It is great having them back, and I think we are seeing the impact that they can have."