Crucial Cats win secures top two as AFL greats laud coach’s touching act

Geelong’s 39-point win over Richmond has ensured the Cats will finish top two and host a qualifying final.

The Cats had the match sewn up by half time before running out 14.19 (103) to 9.10 (64) winners on Saturday.

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AFL great Jason Dunstall conceded the Cats had “taken the foot off the pedal” in their three-goal second half with that home final locked in.

“They did the business in the first half, cruised through the third quarter,” he said.

“They’ve really switched off.”

Jeremy Cameron finished with four goals in his march towards the magical 100-goal season mark – but he could have jumped even closer if not for his four behinds and multiple attempts that fell short.

While it was a dismal first half for the Tigers with just two goals and a 63-point deficit, Adem Yze’s men responded in the second half.

Injury-prone young defender Josh Gibcus got through his first match in almost 18 months, and while clearly disappointed to be subbed out in the third term, he showed good signs in the minutes he managed.

The talented top 10 pick from the 2021 Draft has endured a horror injury run so far in his career.

But on Saturday at the MCG, he played his first game since Round 1, 2024 before being subbed in the third term.

“He wants to be out here. But they’ve got to look after him,” AFL great Jason Dunstall said.

“For me, if you don’t play him… he goes another six months without playing. And it becomes an even longer period that you’re stressing, all through pre-season. He’s going ‘I haven’t played a game for three years’.

“Nice to have it under your belt and then go back to pre-season and work again.”

Vision from the bench showed Richmond coach Adem Yze sitting alongside Gibcus and comforting him as he pulled on his training top.

“Great to see the senior coach sit beside him and just check in with him,” Brownlow Medallist Nathan Buckley said.

THE 3-2-1 (what we learned) via Jack Jovanovski …

3. ‘UNHEARD OF’: CATS’ SEASON-HIGH IN DEMOLITION… BUT BIG QUERY RESURFACES

It’s the 11th time in 15 seasons under Chris Scott’s guidance that the Cats have finished in the top four. It’s a genuinely incredible feat.

Geelong cemented second spot on the ladder and a home qualifying final after dispatching the Tigers on Saturday, but the result begs the same question about the quality of opponent it’s been beating in the lead-in to September.

The Cats generated 13 scores from 15 forward-50 entries in a comprehensive opening quarter, quickly jumping out to a 29-point lead.

AFL legend Jason Dunstall said on Fox Footy of that hit rate: “That’s like 86, 87 per cent. That’s unheard of in our game!”

Electric forward-midfielder Gryan Miers was assessed for a head knock early in the second quarter but returned later in the term.

It was all Cats at the MCG at half-time, and the numbers told a laughably one-sided story. Geelong had scored 9.9 (63) to Richmond’s 0.2 (2) from turnovers alone. That was the biggest first-half differential of the season.

Further, the Cats’ scores-per-inside-50 rate sat at a staggering 72 per cent to the Tigers’ 19 per cent.

“Geelong have focused so heavily on their transition, and their ability to score heavily from that has been great,” former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said at the main change.

“They’re so well-balanced with their offence and defence, and the Tigers haven’t had any answers to that in the first half.”

And while the Tigers were able to peg the margin back a bit in an overall uninspiring second half, it was a procession for the Cats on Saturday afternoon.

But having not faced a top-nine peer since Round 18 — a 26-point loss to GWS — and having not beaten a top-nine team since Gold Coast in Round 13, should the Cats be concerned about going into the finals without being properly challenged?

Dunstall asked Buckley: “Do you have any concern that it’s been a cruisey last six or seven weeks and they haven’t been tested by any of the good teams?”

Buckley said: “Yes, but not as worried as I am happy that you’re meeting September in really good shape, physically.

“And the double-chance definitely helps, because you’re only one game away … from the prelim.”

2. ‘A LOT OF WORK TO DO’: GLARING TIGERS FLAWS SOUR HERO’S FAREWELL

It wasn’t the season finale, nor the Kamdyn McIntosh farewell, the Richmond faithful were after.

McIntosh was justifiably chaired off after two premierships and 213 games in the yellow and black, but he wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet for a fairytale finish as the Cats dismantled the hosts from the get-go.

The Tigers created enough chances in the early going to apply some scoreboard pressure on the Cats, but too often than not, the final connecting piece let them down.

Richmond had only two fewer inside-50s than Geelong but nine fewer scoring shots at quarter-time.

And in an issue that has plagued the Tigers all season, their midfielders are simply not good enough in defensive transition.

Once they turn the ball over — which happened a lot, as ball use remains another glaring problem — they’re not committed enough to run hard the other way, and it resulted in numerous Cats goals on Saturday.

“They’ve got a lot of work to do with their disposal, the Tigers,” Dunstall said in the second quarter.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said at the main change: “(The Cats) are so well-balanced with their offence and defence, and the Tigers haven’t had any answers to that in the first half.”

Geelong had just six more forward entries but led by a whopping 63 points.

And while the Tigers avoided an extremely ugly blowout, the second half was all elementary.

“It was important that they fight the game out, the Tigers. It was 63 points at half-time, it looked like 100 points-plus was going to be the margin, and that’s not how you want to finish the season.

“So, I think Adem Yze would be really pleased with the way they’re fighting back.”

After trailing by 10 goals at the main break, Richmond battled to fall by just 39 points after kicking six of the game’s last seven goals.

A rare consolation for the hosts on Saturday was the unscathed return of luckless key defender Josh Gibcus, who played his first game in 527 days.

Gibcus showed nice signs in defence throughout his two and a half quarters of action, before being tactically subbed out of the game in the third term.

On the bench, Gibcus was shaking his head, seemingly out of disappointment in not being able to play out the game.

“I suspect that’s managing minutes. And he’s probably disappointed, he wants to be out there, but they’ve got to look after him,” Dunstall said.

Buckley said: “There would have been a really big (selection) conversation about whether or not they were going to play him today. What’s the value of getting a young bloke that hasn’t played in two years in for this game?

“The downside can (sometimes) be greater … there’s still a risk associated with that, because the worst-case scenario is terrible.

“It’s great that he’s been able to get through this — we’re assuming that body language is about being disappointed that he can’t finish the game, and hopefully not a soft-tissue issue.”

Gibcus, a former no.9 draft pick, hadn’t played since Round 1, 2024.

1. NO BIG JEZZA BAG AS 100 DREAM FADING

Jeremy Cameron entered Saturday afternoon with 79 goals and left with 83.

It wasn’t the haul most were expecting on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t as if he didn’t have opportunities to capitalise.

Cameron mustered four behinds with his four majors and got involved in a game-high 14 scores, but ultimately he missed a golden chance to edge closer to the ton.

“Cameron is threatening, here at the MCG,” Mark Howard said in commentary.

Dunstall said after Cameron’s first couple: “He’s into the 80s … he’ll go deep into the 80s today, I suspect.”

But he’d kick just one more for the afternoon after fluffing more than a couple of chances late in the second half.

It means ‘Jezza’ has at least two more chances — and at most four — to kick the 17 goals he requires to get to the majestic 100.

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