1. Melee welcomes back Danger to Adelaide
If this is the reception Patrick Dangerfield gets from Port, then book your tickets for Geelong’s next clash with the Crows at Adelaide Oval.
If you didn’t know better, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Cats’ star defected from Port Adelaide. In the opening term, Power players targeted him and fans constantly booed him as the boom recruit had a poor first quarter.
He gave away a free kick to Brad Ebert 50 metres off the ball and then tried to outmark the same player when he should have spoiled, resulting in a goal.
He was then kneed in the back in a marking contest on quarter-time and incident sparked a melee. But Dangerfield showed why he is one of the best players in the competition in the second term as he led a stunning Cats comeback.
He gathered seven disposals and slotted two goals as Geelong kicked the only six majors of the term to erase a 24-point quarter-time deficit and lead at the long break. He finished with 29 touches and two goals.
2. Underlying problems for Port
Ken Hinkley came under fire during the week after Port Adelaide's insipid performance against Greater Western Sydney. Port’s effort level was below par and for the first time it begged the question - has the one-time Port saviour lost his players? That question was answered emphatically in the opening term as Port came out breathing fire, with its senior players leading from the front.
Travis Boak was back in the form fans expect and the rest of his side followed him as they physically took it to Geelong and rattled them early en route to a four-goal quarter-time lead.
But here’s the concerning part for Port, by final-siren time it had crashed to a 48-point defeat as its intensity and method dropped off with every quarter. Clearly the Power's players love their coach and want to play for him, but it is time to ask another question: is Port simply not as good as we thought?
3. Cats' fifth gear is very impressive
Geelong wet its supporters’ appetites when it downed reigning premiers Hawthorn to open the season at the MCG on Easter Monday. But the Cats have rarely run on all cylinders since and entering this match there was some doubt about just how good they were.
They went a long way to answering such doubts with a scintillating effort after quarter-time. Admittedly, their opponent is horribly out of form, but it’s hard to put into words just how much Geelong smashed Port on its deck after quarter-time.
Its midfield, led by Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield, was electric and its ascendency at stoppages was staggering. At both ends the Cats had dynamic players as they kicked 15 goals to three after the first break to silence Power fans.
4. Big Cats do the damage
The Cats went into this match with one massive advantage over the Power - size - and they were always going to try to exploit it. Zac Smith, Rhys Stanley and Mark Blicavs ruthlessly triple-teamed Port’s Matthew Lobbe all night.
The Cats finished with a 60-28 hit-out advantage and Lobbe also gave away two free kicks as he battled manfully, albeit in a losing cause. Up forward, Tom Hawkins had a five centimetre, 19 kilogram advantage on Jack Hombsch and it showed during periods of the match.
5. Out of form Power stars
Travis Boak and Ollie Wines have had well-documented struggles this year and both took steps back towards their usual high standards with solid nights.
But the stats sheet made concerning reading with several of Port’s other top-tier players well down. To three-quarter time vice-captain Hamish Hartlett had just eight disposals while Brad Ebert had 11.
Robbie Gray had his worst performance in years, gathering just six possessions to three-quarter time and none in the third quarter. Dual-All Australian Chad Wingard also had six disposals to three-quarter time, no shots on goal and no impact.
