Geelong skipper Joel Selwood starred as the Cats took another step towards locking up a top-two berth with a 66-point thrashing of West Coast in Saturday night’s AFL clash at Patersons Stadium.
Selwood booted four goals from 29 possessions in the 16.11 (107) to 6.5 (41) triumph, with the Cats thriving in the slippery conditions to record one of their most dominant performances of the year.
Geelong will guarantee themselves a top-two finish if they can beat Sydney and Brisbane at home over the next two weeks.
But if they slip up in any of those games, they are likely to be overtaken by either Fremantle or Sydney.
West Coast’s top-eight hopes are officially over after slumping to their eighth loss from 11 games in Perth this season.
Even if Essendon get stripped of their premiership points, the Eagles will need to beat Collingwood (MCG) and Adelaide over the next fortnight – plus rely on other results to fall their way – if they are to snare a default finals berth from ninth.
Selwood, opposed by his brother Scott Selwood, was prolific throughout the match.
Even off the ball he was annoying West Coast, with Eagles ruckman Dean Cox reported for striking the Geelong midfielder in the third quarter.
Selwood has now kicked 14 goals from his past five matches, and shapes as a key goalkicking weapon in this year’s finals series.
The Cats are set to welcome back forward Tom Hawkins for next week’s home clash with Sydney, but midfielder Steven Motlop is in doubt with a hamstring injury.
Motlop tallied 16 possessions and two goals in the opening half, but was subbed out at the long break after complaining of tightness.
Geelong blitzed the Eagles from the outset, with the Cats booting the opening five goals of the match on the way to a 56-point half-time lead.
West Coast were shellshocked by the onslaught, with Geelong’s run-and-stun game finding holes in the Eagles’ defence time and again.
Returning West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey tallied just seven possessions before being subbed out at half-time, while Chris Masten was a late withdrawal due to a thigh injury.
Former Magpie Sharrod Wellingham tried his best for West Coast with 29 possessions and a goal.
But with the inside-50m count reading 58-36 in Geelong’s favour by the match’s end, Coleman medal leader Josh Kennedy was kept goalless.
Cats veteran Steve Johnson gathered 37 possessions, while Jimmy Bartel and Allen Christensen also played key roles in the win.
