Melbourne v Geelong: Cats left behind as Dees burst out the blocks

Tom Naghten

Melbourne v Geelong: Cats left behind as Dees burst out the blocks image

Geelong and the first match after a week off. Name a less iconic duo.

The Cats came into Friday night's elimination final against Melbourne with a 1-11 record in their last 12 matches after a bye and that didn't look like changing in the first half at the MCG.

Chris Scott's side were left in the blocks as the Demons stepped up to the stage in their first taste of finals football in 12 years.

It took until nine minutes into the second term for Geelong to register their first goal as Melbourne's forward targets in Sam Weideman and Tom McDonald caused plenty of headaches for the Cats' backline.

Were it not for poor kicking in front of goal in the second quarter from the Dees, they would have taken more than a 23-point lead into the main break.

For Cats fans, it felt like a familiar story.

Geelong's last three finals losses have all featured sluggish starts, and they once again gave themselves plenty of work to do.

Cats 1.2 vs Crows 6.3 (2017 preliminary final)
Cats 0.4 vs Tigers 2.4 (2017 qualifying final)
Cats 0.5 vs Swans 7.2 (2016 preliminary final)

Cats 0.2 vs Demons 5.2 (2018 elimination final)


As it turned out, Geelong couldn't match it with the Dees' manic pressure, bowing out of the 2018 season with a 29-point loss.

The Cats threatened to close the margin at times, but costly errors at key moments let them down.

For Melbourne, they go into a semi-final with Hawthorn next week with the knowledge that their brand of footy is cherry ripe for getting results in September.

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.