Cats beat GWS Giants after sluggish start

MATCH REPORT: A RAMPANT last quarter from an injury-depleted Geelong demolished the GWS Giants at Skoda Stadium yesterday.

Jeremy Cameron was the star.

A RAMPANT last quarter from an injury-depleted Geelong demolished the GWS Giants at Skoda Stadium yesterday.

What had been a brave performance by the Giants for much of the match became a rout as Geelong kicked eight goals to one in the final term to win by 59 points.

It was a deflating finish for GWS after scores had been level late in the third term.

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The Cats’ completed their ultimately comfortable victory without clever forwards Steve Johnson and Allen Christensen, who were temporarily knocked out in a clash of heads early in the last quarter.

They sat the game out, leaving Geelong with just one interchange player after Nathan Vardy had already been subbed out.

Geelong coach Chris Scott is grateful his team has the bye next weekend to help the Cats’ lengthening injury list.

Despite the final margin GWS coach Kevin Sheedy claimed it was a better performance by the winless and under-manned Giants, contrasting greatly with a month of floggings.

Jeremy Cameron was the star.

“Sometimes with the smashings we’ve had, you’ve got to get the experience out of that,” Sheedy said.

“You’re starting to see that because most of our backline are very, very young.

“It was better but we’re not there yet. There’s a long way to go still.

“We know what we can do. We just have to do it for longer.”

The Cats clear from defence.

One of the Giants many talented youngsters, Taylor Adams, was encouraged by yesterday’s performance.

“It was a bit more positive than the last few weeks,” said Adams, who remains non-committal about his future.

“We competed hard, tackled well and won contested ball. Obviously the last quarter was a bit disappointing.”

Yesterday’s crowd was 7809, the third best the Giants have attracted in nine games at Skoda Stadium during their season and a half in the AFL.

GWS had lost its last four matches by an average of more than 100 points and recorded their two worst crowds of just under and just over 6000 against Adelaide and West Coast.

The ultimate insult came during the week when former Hawthorn president and Victorian premier Jeff Kennett drew the bizarre analogy of comparing GWS to the failed Gallipoli campaign.

Geelong was able to expose the Giants’ lack of height and strength in the absence of key defenders Phil Davis and Chad Cornes, who have long term injuries.

Key forward James Podsiadly kicked five goals for the Cats, including four in the third term.

Outstanding GWS star forward Jeremy Cameron, 20, kicked 4.4, hitting the post twice, to give him 31 goals for the season.

It leaves Cameron with 31 goals for the season, equal third on the AFL’s goalkicking list with Richmond’s dual Coleman Medallist Jack Riewoldt.

GWS were unsettled before the match when prolific midfielder Toby Greene and veteran ruckman Dean Brogan were forced out with injuries.

It left the tiny Giants using 193cm, 89kg 19-year-old Adam Tomlinson as their second ruckman against Trent West, 25, who stands 199cm and weighs in at 102kg.

While the Giants will develop an outstanding midfield with all their talented recruits they desperately need a big-bodied ruckman and some solid key defenders.

Stephen Gilham, 29, who was recruited from Hawthorn at the end of last season after managing just six games with the Grand Finalist in 2012, has been a disappointment.