Geelong have purred back inside the AFL’s top two but Patrick Dangerfield’s Brownlow Medal chances could be in tatters after the Cats 65-point win over Carlton.

Dangerfield pinned Matthew Kreuzer’s arms and dumped the ruckman head first into the Etihad Stadium turf with a sling tackle in the third quarter of Geelong’s 18.15 (123) to 8.10 (58) victory on Saturday night.

Kreuzer was ushered to the Carlton rooms and wasn’t sighted for the rest of the match.

Until the incident, Dangerfield was a joint favourite to become the first back-to-back winner of the Brownlow Medal since St Kilda champion Robert Harvey.

He will endure restless nights until Monday’s MRP findings.

For other reasons, Brendon Bolton will also have trouble sleeping.

Carlton remain firmly in the race for the wooden spoon after one of the most insipid performances of his tenure.

Only Geelong’s inaccuracy stopped the contest from becoming a total blowout.

Tom Hawkins ran riot up front, with six goals, five score assists and a career-high 27 touches.

The Cats dominance allowed Patrick Dangerfield to spend much of his night in attack, where he was one of five multiple goalkickers.

In his absence, Mitch Duncan and Sam Menegola led the way in midfield.

Zac Smith impressed in the ruck while Jordan Murdoch’s kicked three and provided the run for Chris Scott’s side.

There were very few positives for Bolton, with Levi Casboult’s three-straight goals among them.

Sam Kerridge did an effective job tagging Joel Selwood, while Harry McKay presented well for two goals.

It’s tough to see where Carlton’s next win comes from, with Essendon, Hawthorn and away trips to West Coast and Sydney closing out their season.

The Cats, rebounding from last week’s loss to leaders Adelaide, march on to a taxing final month with renewed confidence.

Whether Dangerfield joins them for next week’s marquee match with Sydney remains to be seen.