Geelong has extended its winning streak to 12 games and sealed the minor premiership with one round remaining, defeating Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night – 18.11 (119) to 9.5 (59).
The Cats put in yet another ominous performance from virtually the opening bounce, strangling the Suns defensively while the likes of Jeremy Cameron and Tyson Stengle starred in attack.
Geelong will now host West Coast to end its home-and-away season, while Gold Coast will face North Melbourne in its final outing of the season.
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QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH REPORT
first quarter
There were no late changes for either side, with Jeremy Sharp (Suns) and Mark O’Connor (Cats) named the medical subs.
The Suns showed promise early, moving the ball swiftly across Metricon Stadium. But they couldn’t get scoreboard reward for effort.
Geelong, however, could make its early opportunities count, with Tyson Stengle snapping his 40th — and probably best — goal of the season before Jeremy Cameron snapped his first of the night to give the Cats an early advantage.
But the Suns responded thanks to some individual brilliance from Izak Rankine, who gathered the ball in a pocket, spun, kicked off balance and conjured a terrific goal.
“He’s impossible to contain … No wonder the Crows have made him a target,” Fox Footy’s Anthony Hudson said.
The Cats hit back at the other end as Cam Guthrie showed off his left boot and nailed a tough goal, before Sam Menegola and Tom Hawkins snapped a couple more for Geelong.
Stengle then plucked a rare contested mark and snapped his second as the Cats kicked out to a 33-point lead.
Gold Coast got one back late in the quarter, with Sam Day converting a set-shot opportunity, but Stengle couldn’t be stopped as he conjured his third major to give Geelong a 31-point lead at the major break.
Stengle, arguably the recruit of the year, booted 3.1 from a game-high nine disposals and three marks in the first quarter.
“It’s one of the great quarters we’ve seen from a small forward this year,” legendary Hawk Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy.
Hudson added: “He is putting on quite a show.”
second quarter
The Cats’ dominant continued after quarter-time as Mark Blicavs and Brandan Parfitt goaled and Geelong’s lead ballooned out to 42 points.
“This is so impressive,” Hudson said.
The Suns got a couple against the grain, with Elijah Hollands nailing a long-range goal before Alex Davies added another.
But Max Holmes showed off his acceleration by foot and nailed a terrific running goal in a steadying major for Geelong.
The Cats led by 51 points at the main break. Their half-time score of 12.5 (77) was their second-highest of the year to date.
“The Suns are getting a masterclass,” Dunstall said.
third quarter
Gold Coast made an impressive start to the second half.
Rankine snapped a classy goal from a free kick before Noah Anderson nailed a running major.
And when Jack Lukosius was moved forward and nailed a set-shot attempt, Geelong’s lead had been cut to 33 points.
As the Suns continued to push the Cats, Geelong ruck Rhys Stanley was subbed out of the game — the second time in three matches that’s happened.
And then Gold Coast had its own injury issues, with Sam Day limping off with a knee injury that saw
Geelong upped its defensive pressure, which led to a Gold Coast turnover and a Gryan Miers goal against the grain, before Zach Tuohy snapped another to give Geelong breathing space.
Cameron then rejoined the party, receiving a handball on the 50m arc and nailing a running goal off one step.
After being challenged by the Suns, the Cats showed their class to steady and take a 55-point lead at the final break.
fourth quarter
Rhys Stanley was subbed out of the game before the quarter commenced, but he appeared to be running freely prior to the move and could be seen smiling after one of the club’s trainers spoke to him on the ground.
Max Holmes opened the term with a major as the Cats continued to boost their already-impressive percentage.
Cameron missed a chance for a third goal, which left the door open for Gold Coast to peg a couple of goals back, which came via Jarrod Witts and Sam Flanders.
A couple of late Geelong goals helped put the Cats further ahead, with one to Brandan Parfitt right before the final siren capping the 60-point win.
THE 3-2-1
3. CATS SHOW NO MERCY IN RUTHLESS ‘MASTERCLASS’ TO SEAL MINOR PREMIERSHIP
This isn’t the season for ‘loss you need to have’ believers.
For this relentless Geelong outfit, as it proved on Saturday night, he has no plans to show any mercy to any rival club during the closing stages of the home and away season.
Despite managing several stars for the game, the Cats were ruthless against the 11th-placed Suns at Metricon Stadium, claiming their 12th straight win and sealing this year’s minor premiership in what legendary Hawk Jason Dunstall dubbed a professional “masterclass”. They produced their second-best first half of the season and finished with their fourth-highest score and equal-third biggest winning margin of the year to date.
While Jeremy Cameron again starred with three goals from 21 disposals, it was a genuine team performance from Geelong where players took the baton of responsibility from each other from quarter to quarter.
Tyson Stengle set the tone in the first quarter with three goals from nine touches, Brandan Parfitt (14 disposals, 1 goal) and Patrick Dangerfield (9 disposals) then took over with dominant second terms, Gryan Miers and Jeremy Cameron worked hard up the ground and hit the scoreboard in the third quarter before the classy Mark Blicavs proved in the final quarter why he’s so valuable to his team.
Dangerfield, in particular, looks like a man on a mission. After withdrawing himself from last week’s game against St Kilda at the last minute, Dangerfield was crucial to Geelong’s dominance over the Suns at the coalface, finishing with game-high contested possessions and clearances.
The only concern was No. 1 ruck Rhys Stanley, who was subbed out of the game in the third quarter with a lower leg injury. However judging by the reaction of the ruckman, the move was very precautionary.
The Cats next week return to GMHBA Stadium for a Round 23 clash against the 17th-placed West Coast, with Isaac Smith and Mitch Duncan due to come back into the side. If the win over the Suns is anything to go by, don’t rule out a pre-finals bloodbath at the Cattery.
2. RECRUIT OF 2022 POUNCES ON ‘ODD MATCH-UP’ TO PRODUCE ‘ONE OF THE GREAT QUARTERS’
If selectors were unconvinced Tyson Stengle was worthy of an All-Australian spot before Saturday night’s clash, they surely would’ve been after his breathtaking first quarter.
Stengle continued to build his case for AFL recruit of the year against the Suns, sparking Geelong to a fast start at Metricon Stadium.
The 23-year-old, who was picked up by the Cats as a delisted free agent late last year, booted three of Geelong’s seven first-quarter goals, including a pearler from the pocket running away from goal.
As well as the three goals, Stengle had a game-high nine disposals and three marks in the first quarter.
“It’s one of the great quarters we’ve seen from a small forward this year,” legendary Hawk Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy.Stengle (171cm) was manned up by young Sun Mac Andrew (201cm) – a move described as an “odd matchup” by Dunstall.
While Stengle’s ability to hit the scoreboard was superb, his awesome workrate was also on display. He ran hard up the ground to help the Cats’ defense before working back inside 50 to provide a forward option where he got both front and square and took contested marks.
“He just goes from strength to strength,” triple premiership Lion Alastair Lynch told Fox Footy
“He’s got an unbelievable ability to make something out of nothing. He’s really setting himself up for All-Australian small forward selection … he’s putting together quite a season.
“As far as general forwards in the league, only Tom Papley is in front of him for score involvements.”
Small Gold Coast defender Sean Lemmens was moved onto Stengle for the second term and was able to stop the bleeding, but the damage had already been done.
1. RANKINE GOES ALL ‘AKER’ AMID MAJOR CROWS PLAY
The Suns are doing everything possible to convince Izak Rankine to remain at the club – and rightly so when he can pull off great goals like he did against Geelong on Saturday night.
Although all footy fans will have their fingers crossed for the slick Suns forward after he came from the ground during the close stages of the match with an injury concern to his already-heavily strapped left shoulder.
Earlier, while the Cats dominated the first term, Rankine – who’s weighing up a big offer from Adelaide – produced a stunning major for Gold Coast, spinning out of a tackle and nailing a right-foot goal off-balance that left Fox Footy commentators stunned .
“He’s impossible to contain … No wonder the Crows have made him a target,” Fox Footy’s Anthony Hudson said.
Alastair Lynch said Rankine, who was sporting a new look, was “certainly making a fair impression” in a performance that reminded the triple premiership Lion of a former teammate.
“I don’t know who he barracked for as a kid, but he’s got a bit of Jason Akermanis about him with this new hairdo, the black beard and mustache – and he’s playing like him,” Lynch told Fox Footy.
The Crows are making a major play for South Australian-based product Rankine, offering him a five-year deal worth as much as $800,000 per season – a contract Gold Coast is highly unlikely to match, although it’s still willing to pay him about $650,000 a year.
Senior Suns players have reportedly warned him of the increased pressure that would come playing for Adelaide.
But Lions legend Jonathan Brown said Rankine might be a player that could cope with the extra scrutiny of playing in a footy-mad town for extra cash.
“He’s a very talented player, but he strikes me as a guy that might be better under the pressure. He may need to have the foot on the throat a little bit down there,” Brown told Fox Footy on Friday night.
“The problem is at the Gold Coast, you can fly under the radar. Sometimes a player like him – how hard is he really working and getting the best out of himself? You look at his consistency of him in games and it’s not quite there yet.
“Maybe he might be better off going there and putting the pressure on himself at Adelaide.”
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