AFL Round 12 West Coast v Geelong: All the news, analysis and fallout as Cats deliver final-quarter blitz
Geelong’s trip to Perth was meant to be the start of a rails run in the back-half of the season – but Harley Reid and the young Eagles made it anything but. And it might be a blessing in disguise.
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Geelong’s trip to Perth was the start of a rails run in the back-half of the season.
Three matches against top-eight sides, two of those at GMHBA Stadium, in their last 12 to finish the season and just three clashes outside Victoria — including their match-up against West Coast.
After navigating a challenging start to the season in impressive fashion, Geelong’s Sunday night scare out west showed the Cats can’t afford to take the foot off the gas or get complacent.
The Cats showed fierce intent to start the game. Geelong’s pressure rating was above 200 nearing the end of the second quarter, the Cats led inside 50s 17-9 to quarter time, and they laid nine more tackles in the first term despite winning 14 more disposals.
The 17-point margin at the first change flattered West Coast, and it looked like the match might resemble their last encounter, which the Cats won by nearly three figures.
But even during the first quarter, the warning signs were there as the Eagle scored two goals directly from their defensive fifty.
West Coast turned the tables in the second quarter with 17-11 inside 50s, 11-6 clearances and five goals to three to make a serious fist of it.
Harley Reid, a Geelong fan growing up who the Cats who have been linked to, gave quite the audition to the Cats in that second term with seven disposals and a goal.
Another player mentioned at length in trade conversations this year, Oscar Allen, seized on Geelong’s turnovers and his match-up with Sam De Koning as he booted three first-half goals.
Geelong managed to even things up in the third term but when Elijah Hewett snapped through the first goal of the fourth term, the margin sat at just six points.
That is far too close for comfort for a team of this quality and experience.
West Coast was wearing its WA state side themed guernsey, and a handful of its developing players probably should be playing in the WAFL right now.
Geelong coach Chris Scott appeared animated at the three-quarter-time break, and perhaps it was the wake-up call they needed as they piled on seven goals in the final quarter to West Coast’s two.
Ollie Dempsey, Tyson Stengle and Rhys Stanley all snapped through goals to put the result beyond doubt and the Cats put the foot down, showing how brutal they can be offensively at their best.
Jeremy Cameron put nine goals on the heads of the Eagles last year down at the Cattery and was in dominant form with 13 goals in the past fortnight, but the undersized Reuben Ginbey kept him unusually quiet.
That was until he caught fire late, kicking four goals in the last 14 minutes of the match to finish with another bag of five as the Cats cruised to a 43-point win.
The blistering Bailey Smith racked up 25 first-half disposals and 34 for the match to go with 834 metres gained, speedster Max Holmes had more than 700m gained in the first half alone, and Gryan Miers was everywhere hitting targets with precision.
On paper this looks like another easy, breezy Cats win.
But Scott’s men know they will have to ensure scares like this are few and far between throughout their soft finish to the year, or they’ll risk jeopardising a top four spot.
“We spoke about it pre-game, it doesn’t really matter in this competition at the moment, if you’re off by a little bit, any team can get you,” Cameron told Fox Footy post-match. .
17 touches and a goal for Baz a minute into the second quarter 🔥#AFLEaglesCatspic.twitter.com/dHwkvzR25i
— AFL (@AFL) June 1, 2025
Match report: Cats win – but Harley and Co go off script
– Brad Elborough
Geelong is the best fourth quarter team in the competition.
Against West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday night, it needed to be.
The Cats were challenged by a plucky Eagles, but again flexed their muscle in the final term, kicking seven goals to two to secure a 43-point win, including four of Jeremy Cameron’s five goals.
The 17.14 (116) to 11.7 (73) victory took the Cats fourth quarter record to 11-1 in 2025. They are plus-219 points in final terms over those 12 final terms.
When Elijah Hewett kicked the first goal of the last quarter, the Eagles trailed by just six points.
But they couldn’t go on with it, letting Geelong kick three goals in less than three minutes.
West Coast has won just one fourth quarter win in its 12 games this season, and are minus-163 points in that time.
Eagles go off script
After controlling the first term, Geelong was expected to kick away in the second quarter and perhaps have put the result out of doubt by half-time.
The Cats led by 17 points at the first break, but only because they kicked poorly (4.5 to 2.0).
That lead extended to 29 points within four minutes of the restart.
The floodgates were threatening to open.
Did they feel in control and take the foot off the pedal a little?
West Coast felt they did, and it got going, with Harley Reid and Jack Graham providing the spark.
They went forward six times more than the Cats for the quarter and reduced the margin to 11 points at half-time.
Hewett gets the Eagles within a kick ðŸ¿#AFLEaglesCatspic.twitter.com/TpJg0GjhQo
— AFL (@AFL) June 1, 2025
Harley came flying in from the side 🦅#AFLEaglesCatspic.twitter.com/HYoJHakLie
— AFL (@AFL) June 1, 2025
What could have been
Bailey Smith led all possession getters with 38 disposals, his best return as a Cat.
At half-time though, he was on career-high pace for possessions.
His best as a Western Bulldog was 43 touches, against North Melbourne in 2022.
His previous best in a Geelong jumper before Sunday was 35 touches, twice.
He had 15 touches in the first term against West Coast. His 18th disposal came one minute into the second quarter – a goal to put the Cats in front by 23 points.
He had 25 possessions and kicked a goal in the first half.
Then West Coast’s go-to stopper, Brady Hough, started to have an impact on Smith’s output.
He kept Smith to just five touches in the third term, but he added another eight in the last.
Cats forward power
The task was always going to be a difficult one for the Eagles.
Three of Geelong’s forwards, Cameron (33 goals), Oliver Dempsey (18) and Shannon Neale (13) had kicked one fewer goal between them this season (64), than what the entire team West Coast took into the game had managed (65).
Cameron kicked 9.1 against the Eagles the last time they played.
The Coleman Medal leader was kept to just one goal in three quarters by young Eagle Reuben Ginbey.
Ginbey did a terrific job, considering he gave up 5cm and 214 games experience.
Cameron got off the chain in the final term, kicking four goals.
The Eagles were without their two most prolific forwards, Jake Waterman and Jamie Cripps.
Oscar Allen had his season high of three goals by the half-way mark of the game.
Originally published as AFL Round 12 West Coast v Geelong: All the news, analysis and fallout as Cats deliver final-quarter blitz
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