Geelong v St Kilda: All the news and update from the Cats’ win over the Saints
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera starred, but no other Saints were able to go with him as the Cats comprehensively outplayed St Kilda as they all but lock themselves into a top four berth.
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Like that pesky nerd at exam time, sometimes people better than you just have the answers.
And so it was at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday when, no matter what look St Kilda coach Ross Lyon threw at Geelong, those in blue and white were, simply, better.
The final margin of 31 points was a fair reflection of the Cats’ match-long grip on the premiership points.
But in a microcosm of the match, the visitors’ biggest highlight – a stunning goal of the year contender from Mason Wood, whose dribbler from the left forward pocket in the second term was a work of art – was answered and improved almost immediately.
Jeremy Cameron, whose five goals helped ready the engraver for his second Coleman Medal, kicked his own GOY contender with a long-range left-foot snap from the boundary to quell the uprising.
That he was given that latitude after winning the ball in a contest was also “low-key” telling.
His opponent Liam Stocker must surely have known that the megastar Cat would favour his left foot, yet somehow almost encouraged him to turn that way, presumably because it was to the boundary side, as he may well have been instructed.
But when push came to shove, those are the type of moments that matter.
And precisely where the Cats are masters and the Saints but flashy apprentices.
The victory was set up by Geelong’s second most prolific opening quarter of 2025 – behind only the Round 15 romp over Essendon – which was notable for its accuracy with six unblemished majors.
And aside from Shaun Mannagh’s miracle, bouncing boundary-line snap, Jack Martin’s simple set-shot goal from about 25m out was the toughest of them, with the Cats scything through the inept transition defence of the Saints.
Remarkably, it was a simple 25m set shot directly in front from skipper Patrick Dangerfield that eventually ended the Cats’ perfect kicking start at nine midway through the second term.
The visitors, with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera again the prolific standout, roared back into the contest with five second-quarter goals of their own.
It certainly wasn’t your typical Lyon “stodgefest” with the Saints keen to spread quickly from their backline trying to break a 26-year drought at the venue.
But his counterpart Chris Scott again had the answers and simply urged his charges to turn up the pace to another level again in the third term.
And every time St Kilda nibbled into the lead, the Cats found their next gear.
The only downside for the Cats, who returned to the top four with the victory, was that champion backman Tom Stewart was subbed off with knee soreness in the third term.
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Incoming AFL footy boss Greg Swann has hinted at a change in quarter lengths when he gets feet under the desk.
The first half of the Cats-Saints should be his case study with almost half an hour of “time-on” (yes, that’s correct).
And if he’s looking to lop a few seconds here and there, surely discussions by umpiring committees around point posts must become history.
Patrick Dangerfield’s sliced set shot in the second term was given a “soft call” of out of bounds before the umpiring triumvirate sent the call “upstairs” for what must rate as the most pointless review of the season.
Surprise, surprise, there was no way of learning more with the video evidence available and the “umpire’s call” meant we’d all just wasted 30 seconds of our lives.
The instruction must surely become to all boundary umpires: if you’re stationed on the point post for a set shot, MAKE THE CALL!
THE HOT CORNER
If you are a photographer and wanted to maximise your chances of an iconic snap, the southwest corner of GMHBA Stadium is your best bet – Mitch Duncan’s halftime torpedo from the car park and Gary Ablett Jr’s “impossible” snap just two that spring to mind.
And while Shaun Mannagh’s opening goal won’t “go viral” like those did, you’ll go a long way to find a better combination of action than his snap after Tyson Stengle’s full-tilt one-handed up pick-up that set it up.
Mannagh’s Bruce Yardley-style off-break then made a near impossibility a regulation statistic that won’t tell the tale unless you saw it.
JEZZA TO THE RESCUE
A dog’s breakfast next to Geelong’s point post late in the first quarter resulted in a free-kick and subsequent 50m penalty to St Kilda that not many could decipher, including Tyson Stengle who was left with the footy in his hands as the Saints jogged forward into position.
No doubt unsure of what he should do, Stengle unwisely opted for a wobbly torpedo that skewed off his boot as Saints fans began to howl for what would have been a 100m penalty.
But ever alert, Jeremy Cameron sprinted to mark the ball and delivered it quickly to Jack Higgins to avoid what would have been a horrid penalty for a mysterious original call.
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