Geelong will hit the finals in top form after smashing GWS, but can the Cats go all the way?

WHY isn’t anyone talking up Geelong’s premiership chances? The Cats are in hot form at the right time of year while the Giants are in a world of pain.

Daniel Menzel celebrates a goal for Geelong. Picture: AAP Images

IT was the moment which summed up their evening and in many ways also said a lot about their premiership aspirations.

Late in the third quarter GWS Giants ruckman Rory Lobb found himself in Geelong’s goal square.

He was all alone and had one simple task, to touch Jordan Murdoch’s shot for goal from 70 metres.

But somehow Lobb became disorientated and allowed the ball to bounce in the square.

GAME RECAP: HOW THE CATS SMASHED THE GIANTS

The second bounce then kicked towards the goal line with the GWS big man having a second attempt at touching the ball.

He failed again.

The goal was Geelong’s sixth of the quarter and ensured they would go into the final break 40 points up.

It also ensured that GWS had just blown any opportunity for a home ground advantage in week one of the finals and were potentially going to slip from second to fourth.

Geelong players celebrate a goal on Saturday night. Picture: Getty Images

While Geelong at Geelong has always been one of the toughest gigs, this performance by the Giants wasn’t that of a team who will be winning the flag in five weeks.

That has been the assumption for most of the season, that last year’s preliminary finalists would just turn up on the last Saturday in September and collect the trophy.

These predictions were all based on the pure talent which was on the list. The best ever, some recruiters said.

The thing about winning premierships is that you have to get the talent to work together and you have to get the talent to at some stage think about defence.

There is no better team on the fast break than the Giants but when things are going the other way there aren’t many men in orange who put up their hand.

Geelong exposed a lot of holes in this star-studded line-up.

Steve Johnson was recruited to be the cream on top for a premiership but he struggled badly in his return to Simonds Stadium.

Fellow veteran Heath Shaw is a shadow of the player he was last year while Shane Mumford also seems to have lost something.

The forward line doesn’t work hard enough. Jeremy Cameron might have ended up with three goals but he’s a long way off his best.

Apart from Phil Davis, the defence looks vulnerable to constant attack which is exactly what they were under from Geelong who bullied the Giants in the midfield.

Co-captain Callan Ward (36 possessions) was easily their best player last night but finding the next five wasn’t an easy task.

Patrick Dangerfield was at his brilliant best on Saturday night. Picture: AAP Images

So if the Giants don’t look like winning the flag, what about the Cats?

It’s a legitimate question and one which probably wasn’t getting asked a few weeks ago about Chris Scott’s outfit.

If you look at Saturday night’s game as a statement then it had ‘We can win it’ written all over it.

Mitch Duncan started it all in the midfield and soon the likes of Sam Menegola (three goals and 34 possessions), Jordan Murdoch, Scott Selwood and Cam Guthrie got involved.

Patrick Dangerfield was Patrick Dangerfield with 33 disposals and 10 clearances but it was the performance of some lesser names which says the Cats might have something special cooking.

Jed Bews and Tom Stewart were dynamic from half-back with the defensive side of the home team ultra-impressive.

Harry Taylor went back because of the Giants talls and never missed a beat while Tom Lonergan, Lachie Henderson and Andrew Mackie were rock solid.

It was a tough night for Stevie J. Picture; Getty Images

At the other end youngsters Brandan Parfitt and Wylie Buzza had good moments with Daniel Menzel and Tom Hawkins looking sharp again.

In the end the margin was 44 points and as every Geelong fan will point out, they did that without Joel Selwood.

For some reason the Cats have been on the nose with pundits despite their top four position all season.

They’ve certainly had some flaky moments throughout the year but on Saturday night’s evidence the Cats have to be in the conversation.

As for the Giants, well, they’re going about as well as Rory Lobb in the goal square in the third quarter.