Geelong have fallen to Walyalup by 29 points on Saturday afternoon at Optus Stadium in Perth.
After an evenly balanced first quarter it was the Dockers that took control in the second, but there was still only nine points in it at half-time.
The lead got out to 21-point in the third quarter but Walyalup conceded late goals to lead by just 10 at the final change before Tom Hawkins had a chance to cut that to four in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.
The champion goalkicker missed however, and the Dockers didn’t give the Cats another sniff, with James Aish and Jye Amiss kicking clutch long-range goals before Michael Frederick sealed the deal.
It was ultimately a win full of substance and built with a depth of contributors, with the Dockers holding the Cats, who were missing several key players, goalless in the final term.
For Geelong, losing back-to-back games after last week’s defeat to Richmond has left their premiership defence in need of a boost they will hope comes quickly against the Giants at GMHBA Stadium next weekend.
Big-bodied midfielder Mark Blicavs (18 and five clearances) worked hard, while Isaac Smith (18 and two goals) had some key involvements and Hawkins finished with a team-high three goals in his battle with Alex Pearce.
They were able to kick late goals in each of the first three quarters to get themselves back in competitive positions after letting the Dockers chain multiple goals together.
But that proved a draining pattern, with the team unable to compete with the rampaging Walyalup when the game was on the line late.
Sharpshooting Brayshaw keeps lifting
When Andrew Brayshaw gets his opportunities in attack this season he is not wasting them, kicking 7.0 to put him on track for a career-best return in front of goals. And the scratchy form that accompanied a knee niggle is well and truly behind him, after another terrific performance on Saturday. Brayshaw’s second quarter was immense, tallying 12 disposals and four clearances, while also drifting into the back half when needed. Hitting the scoreboard has been a key to Brayshaw’s evolution as a midfielder, kicking 12.12 last season. It’s been a prominent part of his game for the past month, with five goals from his past four games as Freo’s season has turned around.
Stoppage scores hurt Cats
Ranked No.1 in the AFL leading into round 10 for scores from stoppages, Geelong was beaten at its own game in the first half on Saturday. The Cats conceded 5.0 from forward 50 stoppage clearances in the first half, while kicking just 2.4 themselves from stoppages all over the ground. Without injured premiership ruckman Rhys Stanley, the Cats struggled to contain Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson’s influence around stoppages and paid a price they’re not used to paying. The final hit-out ascendency of 56-38 contributed significantly to the Dockers’ clearance wins, with Blicavs and Max Holmes the best of the Cats ground-level brigade with five each.
WALYALUP 3.2 8.4 13.6 16.10 (106)
GEELONG 3.4 6.7 11.8 11.11 (77)
GOALS
Walyalup: Walters 3, Amiss 3, Frederick 2, Aish, Banfield, Brayshaw, Darcy, Schultz, Serong, Switkowski, Treacy
Geelong: Hawkins 3, Henry 2, Smith 2, Stengle 2, Blicavs, Bruhn
BEST
Walyalup: Brayshaw, Serong, Darcy, Amiss, Walters, O’Meara, Banfield
Geelong: Blicavs, Hawkins, Smith, Bruhn
INJURIES
Walyalup: Nil
Geelong: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Walyalup: Matthew Johnson (replaced Nat Fyfe in the third quarter)
Geelong: Oliver Dempsey (replaced Sam Simpson in the fourth quarter)
Crowd: 45,811 at Optus Stadium