On the surface, Geelong can be pleased with the outcome of Saturday afternoon's clash with the Bombers, as they secured a 67-point victory to further entrench themselves in the race to September. 

For three quarters of the contest, the Cats were in complete control as they booted the opening 10 goals of the contest to build an unassailable lead by half time, before closing strongly in the final term despite difficult and wet conditions at GMHBA Stadium. 

But a span either side of half time caught Bailey Smith's attention, where Essendon started to nudge their way back into the contest with a run of six goals to one, an outlier in what was otherwise a brilliant performance for the home side. 

Smith said with two games remaining in the home-and-away season, the team are trying to build momentum and perfect their game, with September looming large and the Cats hoping to play a big part once again in 2026. 

"It was more exciting to watch the boys up forward do what they did. Ollie Dempsey, Ollie Henry and 'Scratch' towards the end there," Smith told Cats Media. "If only Brad Close could kick straight, he kicked four points I think, that was why he was trying to dish it off late.

"It was just good to see everyone stand up, we were just a bit disappointed with that third quarter from a midfield perspective. We sort of just let them do what they wanted a bit, our pressure dropped off, we got a bit complacent and then halfway through the quarter, got it going again.

"We are just trying to build good habits going into the next couple of weeks, especially come Finals time.

"We had a big focus on that no matter what position they are on the ladder, we just treat them as a faceless opposition and everyone is good in this competition, so you never know what is going to get thrown up at you."

The Cats could not have hoped for much more from their superstar midfielder on Saturday, collecting a game-high 38 disposals, the only player in the game to reach the 30-disposal mark in wet and slippery conditions. 

Smith also added eight clearances, six tackles, 751 metres gained, seven score involvements and five intercept possessions, achieving it all while still going at an impressive 71% disposal efficiency. 

The star Cat helped to lead Geelong to a fourth consecutive victory in Round 22, further pushing Geelong's case for a top-six spot on the ladder heading into the penultimate game of the home-and-away season. 

All attention will turn to a massive clash with North Melbourne next Saturday, in what will be the Cats' only venture to Marvel Stadium this year, with Smith providing some insight into the thinking behind the final two matches of the regular season. 

"They are important, ideally we don't drop one but if we do, I don't think we are going to freak out too much.

"Ideally we don't want to play the Wildcard Round, cause you just don't want that for your body. But we are going to do our best and that is the main thing, but as I said it is setting up good habits.

"I think any team is good enough to pick you apart if you are not on, so that is our focus, is to have our pressure and contest around the ball consistently good.

"We can't have those 10 minute periods because we see teams like Brisbane, they will get a roll on and kick five or six goals.

"We are just trying to sharpen our sword and get it all sorted."