Cats in a canter over Dockers

Fri 10 Sep

Geelong will meet Collingwood in an AFL preliminary final for the third time in four seasons after cruising to a 69-point semi-final win over Fremantle at the MCG.

The Cats won 20.15 (135) to 10.6 (66), a result that was never in doubt after they belted the shell-shocked Dockers 8.1 to 1.1 in a dominant first term.

Cats coach Mark Thompson had warned his side after last weekend's fast-finishing four-point loss to St Kilda that he would not tolerate another slow start against Fremantle, and his players responded.

They put on 5.1 before Fremantle scored - with a rushed behind early in time-on - then piled on three more goals in the last five minutes of the quarter, after Dockers captain Matthew Pavlich posted his side's first.

When Geelong key forward James Podsiadly - back from a two-game suspension - kicked his third major five minutes into the second quarter, the Cats were 49 points clear and the contest was as good as over.

The Dockers, playing at the MCG for the first time all season, were hampered by giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands coming into the game with a knee injury.

The big man started in attack and Geelong had three goals before he moved into the ruck, but even then his effectiveness was limited by his struggle to jump off the ground.

Fremantle had plenty of other concerns, notably their minimal early defensive pressure, allowing the Cats to speed from defence into attack down the middle of the ground with ease on numerous occasions. - aap