Geelong overwhelmed Richmond by 44 points to set up next Friday night’s AFL blockbuster against Essendon.

The 20.11 (131) to 13.9 (87) win over the Tigers on Saturday night at the MCG leaves the Cats and the Bombers as the only two unbeaten teams after six rounds.

Richmond were impressive in the first half, but lost their composure in the third term.

The Cats kicked 11 goals to five in the second half.

It was a great night for Geelong’s two milestone players, with Corey Enright (250 games) and Steve Johnson (200) having key roles in the win.

Cats players rushed to Enright late in the last term when he kicked a booming goal.

Mathew Stokes also starred for Geelong, while Shane Edwards 30 possessions for Richmond and Jake King kicked a career-best four goals.

Richmond, ranked last in the league for tackles before this match, were much better in that area against Geelong, especially in the first half.

But the Cats withstood their pressure, kicking the last four goals of the first half to turn a 19-point deficit into a five-point lead at the main break.

Geelong took full toll early in the third term as a succession of incidents rattled the Tigers.

First ruckman Ivan Maric limped off with a lower leg injury, although he was able to return to the field later in the term.

Moments later, back-up Richmond ruckman Tyrone Vickery was then knocked senseless at a centre bounce when he clashed heads with Johnson.

Vickery was subbed out of the game.

Tigers defender Chris Newman then reacted furiously when a free kick was paid against him, first clashing with Taylor Hunt and then Joel Selwood.

By this stage, the free kick count was 14-4 in Geelong’s favour.

Allen Christensen’s goal at six minutes was the sixth in a row for Geelong, giving them a 16-point lead.

By three-quarter time, the margin was four goals and another two to the Cats early in the final term put the result beyond doubt.

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