And breathe In one of the best and most unpredictable AFL games of the year so far, Geelong held off a valiant Port Adelaide to claim their ninth straight win, despite an epic fightback from the Power, who threw everything they had into favorites
Trailing by 34 points at half-time and with their season on the line, Port scored eight goals to one in the third term, thanks to inspired efforts from Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson, to take a seven-point lead at the change end
But the Cats, as they have done all season, found another gear, with Tom Atkins playing the quarter of his life and Tom Hawkins coming through in the clutch to seal a 12-point Geelong win, 16.10 (106) to 14.10 (94).
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QUARTERLY MATCHES REPORT
There were no late changes from either side. Riley Bonner (Port Adelaide) and Shannon Neale (Geelong) were the medical substitutes.
Port Adelaide got off to the perfect start, with neat work from the center leading to a mark in goal for Mitch Georgiades, who converted for the first goal of the game.
A costly turnover in the corridor by Max Holmes opened the play for Port Adelaide at the other end, with Sam Powell-Pepper nailing his shot from seven to score his second goal of the game.
As the Cats began to claw their way into the contest, Holmes made up for his earlier mistake, getting on the end of a poor Port Adelaide kick and hitting the scoreboard.
Port Adelaide’s pressure was dubbed by Garry Lyon on Fox Footy, who said the Power were “playing like a team on their last chance”.
Tom Hawkins was next to kick a goal, albeit in controversial circumstances with the Adelaide Oval crowd in an uproar over a possible push in the back of Hawkins’ opponent.
Gary Rohan really kicked almost immediately afterwards to go in front, giving the Cats an unlikely lead.
Good work in the contest helped Port Adelaide get the ball out of congestion in their forward 50 and it was Todd Marshall who found space as a result and kicked a goal.
It was then Port Adelaide’s turn to score back-to-back goals in quick time, with Kane Farrell finishing a fine job from the center bounce.
Rohan then hit back for the Cats with his second in what quickly turned into a goal-scoring spectacle.
Jeremy Cameron made a mark before the quarter-time buzzer, but there was controversy over its legitimacy again, with the ball potentially touching the ground.
That goal gave the Cats a four-point lead at quarter-time and, according to Nathan Buckley, “the rub of the green” given the way their goals had come.
The Cats got off to a flying start in the second quarter, with Patrick Dangerfield scoring a classy goal on the run.
But minutes later, Cameron missed an absolute net in front of goal. In fact, Dwayne Russell said it was a contender for the worst “foul of the year.”
At the other end, Mitch Georgiades converted a goal from seven.
Then the Cats found their groove. Hawkins responded with his second goal before Gryan Miers and Brad Close hit majors to extend Geelong’s lead to a maximum of 22 points.
“Port Adelaide is on the ropes here … Their whole season is hanging in the balance,” Russell said.
Lyon added: “What you’re seeing here is Chris Scott’s masterclass coming to fruition. You’ve got Cameron standing up after being redeployed, Blicavs doesn’t have much of a say, but Stanley has had seven clearances.
Cameron then scored and scored late before a comedy of errors in the dying seconds led to a post-siren goal to Smith that ensured Geelong led by 34 points at the main break.
“It’s just starting to unravel for them,” Lyon said of the power.
But there was a sudden shift in momentum during the early stages of the second half.
Port got off to a quick start in the third term, with three goals on the trot.
Sam Powell-Pepper fired a long-range goal before Charlie Dixon struck hard and converted to give his side some hope.
And when Georgiades scored a running goal, the Power were back to within 15 points.
The Cats got a steady goal in response, with Tyson Stengle finding space in the forward half, sprinting and kicking an important one.
But the power came through again, with Robbie Gray, Jed McEntee and Todd Marshall scoring to cut the margin to four points.
“They can smell blood,” Russell said.
The turnaround was courtesy of a huge surge in clearances as Jeremy Finlayson and Charlie Dixon took charge of the center rebounds. They were running into a Cats side without Rhys Stanley, who was substituted from the game in the third term after eight first-half dismissals.
Dixon then scored and scored to level the scores before Travis Boak hit a seven to give the Power the lead at three-quarter time.
Port shot 8.2 to 1.3 in the third term to turn a 34-point deficit into a seven-point lead at the final change.
The Cats begrudgingly had the ideal start to the fourth term with Cameron kicking the first goal of the quarter.
Mitch Duncan then showed fantastic composure, delivering a lovely ball inside 50 to Stengle, who slotted and scored to give the Cats the lead again.
There were several crucial moments in a frantic finish. Mitch Georgiades took one of the marks of the year, Patrick Dangerfield applied a great choke on Kane Farrell, but was then possibly denied a goal after the referees chose not to review his goal tip.
At the other end, Karl Amon made a good mark and kicked a long goal to level the scores.
“This is a beauty … When you have a game in this state, it’s as good as football,” Lyon said of the game.
Powell-Pepper then scored but missed to give Port a point, before Cam Guthrie missed his shot. The results were tied again.
The Cats then again showed great composure, with Close finding Hawkins close to goal. Medalist Coleman converted his seven-pointer to give the Cats a one-goal lead.
Hawkins came back in the clutch. He won a free from a ruck stop and converted his seven-pointer from distance to seal an epic 12-point win.
THE 3-2-1…
3. SIMPLY THE BEST
This side is built differently.
Port Adelaide’s third quarter couldn’t have been more potent, with the Cats well and truly against it – mind the numbers.
Geelong had conceded a 41-point turnaround to the Power, lost disposals by 22, marks by 13, possessions contested by six, clearances by seven, center clearances by six and inside 50 for 12
It was a demolition job that Port Adelaide performed to have extraordinary momentum going into the final quarter.
And yet Geelong did not wither.
“If you want to earn respect in this competition that is football, do what this team has been able to do here,” Garry Lyon told Fox Footy after Geelong’s final statement.
“You go eight goals to one in the third quarter at Adelaide Oval, where you’re absolutely overwhelmed against a team playing for their footballing lives, you rally and go out and score four goals to one in the last quarter.
“Unbelievable”.
It’s a ninth win in a row for the Cats and one they needed far less than Port Adelaide and yet they’ve produced one of their hardest efforts of the season.
2. TOM ATKINS SOLIDIFIES STAR STATUS
If the AFL world hadn’t noticed Tom Atkins’ meteoric rise in midfield before Saturday, they have now.
In a game where the old guard of Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield struggled to make an impact, it was Atkins who once again showed the way in this new Cats midfield.
With the game on the line in the final quarter, Atkins had 12 disposals (seven contested) and 31 pressures as he practically willed his team to victory.
“Tom Atkins this term, I know he’s announced himself over the last 10 weeks as a genuine bona fide midfielder, now he’s announced himself as a Selwood-like match-winner when something needed to be done,” said Garry Lyon .
“It’s been amazing.”
Nathan Buckley agreed, adding: “He finds the ball, but it’s not about that, it’s about impact. When you need to win the ball, he’s the one who’s done it.”
It was a monumental performance from Atkins in a season full of them.
1. POWER’S THIRD QUARTER Blitz A REMINDER OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
It doesn’t get much more impressive than a 41-point turnaround against a team that has won eight games in a row to be the most in-form team in the competition.
That is exactly what Port Adelaide did and it is precisely for this reason that the 0-5 start to the season remains one of the great conundrums of the season.
Admittedly, the Power were helped by their opposition in a huge way, with Rhys Stanley substituted at half-time with a knee problem.
It might have raised a few eyebrows if the Cats had backup ruckman Shannon Neale as the sub said, but it wasn’t the same considering what Stanley had offered the Cats up to this point.
At half-time, Stanley had 12 disposals (10 contested), eight disposals, 16 hits and three involvements to be clearly the most influential player on the pitch.
With Stanley out in that third quarter, Port Adelaide flipped the script for the Cats and it was Jeremy Finlayson at centre.
“I had a bit of a suspicion that he was playing in the ruck for most of this year, but he’s proven everybody wrong and probably surprised himself,” Mark Ricciuto told Fox Footy at the end of the third quarter.
“His third quarter was incredible. Four center bounce discoveries.
“That’s why Charlie Dixon came into the game, because he was going straight through the middle to big Charlie.”
Dixon finished this term with a remarkable 11 disposals: two contested, five marks, two goal assists, two inside 50s, one disposal and two goals.
“Port Adelaide’s effort and their contest, their numbers around…