GEELONG has kept its hopes of a ninth straight finals campaign alive, after beating Greater Western Sydney by 27 points at StarTrack Oval on Saturday.

Key forward Tom Hawkins starred with five goals in the scrappy 9.15 (69) to 6.6 (42) victory - the Cats' first ever in Canberra.

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It takes their season record to 8-7 and keeps them in touch with the top eight, with six games remaining.

While the defeat doesn't spell the end for the Giants, it makes the run to a maiden finals berth tougher.

However Geelong coach Chris Scott stopped short of labelling this round a turning point.

"I hope it is, but I don't know," he said.

"We've gone from having one fit emergency and 24 or 25 players on the track a couple of weeks ago ... and we had 40 on the track this week.

"It is turning around a little bit.

"It's not a great message to sell to your players that once we get personnel back, we'll be OK. But you're also kidding yourself if you think personnel doesn't play a part.

"We think we're better placed now than we were six weeks ago."

Apart from a mini comeback in the third quarter, the hosts - particularly their forward line - were monstered by the Cats.

It marked GWS' lowest score at the venue in 2015, in front of its biggest Canberra crowd of 14,667.

Five talking points: GWS v Geelong

Toby Greene opened the Giants' account with what looked more like a party trick than a shot at goal - snapping the ball back over his head after shrugging off two defenders just outside the goalsquare.

But that was the only highlight from the hosts in a messy first term.

Steven Motlop and Hawkins were at their damaging best, doing most of the work for the 17-point lead at quarter-time.

The Giants had almost 50 fewer touches in that first term, in which they also lost Rhys Palmer with a corked hamstring.

The injury handed substitute Jed Lamb his first senior match in 2015, although it did little to lift GWS.

Leon Cameron's men appeared sluggish and struggled across the park.

They were kept goalless for 49 minutes, managing just two majors the entire first half - the second coming via Adam Tomlinson in his 50th match.

Cameron said he was especially disappointed with the first 40 minutes of the game, in which his side managed just a single goal - albeit a stunning overhead kick by Toby Greene in the third minute.

"You can't waste 40 minutes against Geelong ... there's no excuse," he said.

"The 50-50 games against sides that are around the mark with us on the ladder, are the games that we need to get better at."

While the Cats, the league's most accurate side heading into the weekend, wavered in front of goal, they took a 25-point lead into the main break.

The Giants stepped up in the third quarter, winning the contested ball and bagging two goals to one - including a freakish snap by Tom Downie to narrow the deficit to 16 points.

But the momentum didn't continue their way into the last term.

Hawkins snuffed any chance of a comeback with his fifth and Mitch Duncan and returning captain Joel Selwood added another each before the Giants booted the final two goals of the game.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY     1.1  2.3    4.6    6.6 (42)
GEELONG                                    3.6  5.10  6.10  9.15 (69)

GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Greene, Tomlinson, Kelly, Downie, Lamb, Ward
Geelong: Hawkins 5, Motlop 2, Selwood, Duncan 

BEST 
Greater Western Sydney: Treloar, Coniglio, Williams, Haynes, Tomlinson, Shaw
Geelong: Motlop, Hawkins, Caddy, Enright, Selwood, Lonergan 

INJURIES 
Greater Western Sydney: Rhys Palmer (corked hamstring)
Geelong: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Greater Western Sydney: Jed Lamb replaced Rhys Palmer in the first quarter
Geelong: Billie Smedts replaced Josh Walker in the final quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Schmitt, Kamolins

Official crowd: 14,667 at StarTrack Oval