GEELONG has moved into the top four and thrown Fremantle into a fight to play finals, coming from behind in the last quarter to secure a crucial 11-point win in a ferocious clash at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
The Cats trailed by four points on the road early in the final term but held their nerve with the finals double chance on the line, kicking the last two goals of the game to win 10.13 (73) to 9.8 (62) and climb to third on the ladder.
DOCKERS v CATS Full match coverage and stats
Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield lifted with the game on the line, winning seven final-quarter disposals and finishing with a game-high 11 clearances as the Cats used all their nous to hold off the Dockers in the frantic final minutes.
The champion Cat made the decision to volley a shot out of mid-air when he could have taken possession, however, which could have proved costly if punished by Fremantle, which will rue a slow start.
The Dockers, who lost ruckman Sean Darcy minutes before the bounce in a late change, will also count the cost of a fifth game lost this season from a winnable position after entering the final quarter with a four-point lead.
The Dockers had not met Geelong since round 20 last season and looked unprepared for their opponents early as the Cats ambushed them with four goals on the trot to open a 23-point lead.
With Darcy sidelined, dynamic Docker Luke Jackson moved into the No.1 role, but was quelled early by Rhys Stanley as Freo's tall forwards struggled to make an impact and hold their marks.
At the other end of the ground, milestone man Jeremy Cameron slotted a skilful set shot from deep in the pocket to launch his 250th game in style.
Geelong's margin would have been more at the first break if not for former Cat Jordan Clark, who converted from outside 50m in his 100th game and limited the damage to 13 points.
The high stakes contest went to a new level in the second quarter as Caleb Serong and Hayden Young lifted their output and took on the Geelong pressure through the corridor with attacking handball chains.
The game quickly ground to a halt in the second half of the quarter, however, as the Cats' loose man in defence led to the Dockers patiently working the ball up the ground, racking up 33 uncontested marks to nine for the quarter as Geelong held a six-point lead at the main break.
The Cats would have been frustrated by a third quarter of missed opportunities and untidy passages of play, kicking 1.5 as Cameron, Ollie Henry and Dempsey all missed shots and tension built in a match that neither team could break open.
The Dockers took their chances, with Jackson taking a big contested mark and Serong leading up the middle of the forward 50 like a full forward to give the team its first lead for the day, before Shaun Mannagh struck back with snap on the burst.
Voss created a highlight when the burly forward delivered a double 'don't argue' on Zach Guthrie in the pocket and then found Amiss with a crafty kick to the top of the goalsquare as the Dockers took a four-point lead at the last change.
Cats fly out of blocks
For the third straight week, the Dockers conceded the opening quarter as Geelong booted the first four goals and put a 23-point margin on their opponents. An issue for the Dockers in the past, they were 10-10 in opening quarters coming into Saturday's match but have slipped in recent weeks. The Cats built their hot start on pressure and were relentless with their tackling inside 50 as Jeremy Cameron and Ollie Henry created chances. Across the ground, they out tackled the Dockers 26-8 and forced rushed kicks that their interceptors were able to mop up.
Retro round, retro battle
It wasn't the 2015 epic that saw Nat Fyfe (40 disposals and 14 clearances) go head-to-head with Patrick Dangerfield (38 and nine) when the Geelong captain was with Adelaide, but it was a critical part of Saturday's clash nonetheless as the two big-bodied midfielders went mano-a-mano again nine years on. Even Geelong coach Chris Scott could appreciate the value for fans in seeing the two Brownlow medallists, who each spent periods as the game's best player, fighting it out at stoppages. "To think that in 2024 the two teams are in finals contention, and we're seeing it again, it was great for a footy fan," Scott said, with his captain taking the points on the strength of his last quarter.
Big Docker down before buzzer
The Dockers gave Sean Darcy quite literally until the last 10 minutes to prove his fitness, calling through a late change just moments before the first bounce. The star ruckman had been managed through the week after appearing banged up against Essendon last week, and he completed the on-ground warm-up with heavy strapping on his knee. With a six-day break, however, the club said he just hadn't got himself up as veteran forward Matt Taberner came into the team and Luke Jackson shifted in the No.1 ruck role.
FREMANTLE 2.1 5.4 8.7 9.8 (62)
GEELONG 4.2 6.4 7.9 10.13 (73)
GOALS
Fremantle: Serong 3, Amiss, Clark, Frederick, Jackson, Sturt, Young
Geelong: Mannagh 2, Neale 2, Cameron, Dangerfield, Dempsey, O.Henry, Miers, Stanley
BEST
Fremantle: Clark, Serong, Ryan, Young, Chapman, Sharp
Geelong: Dangerfield, Stewart, Holmes, Miers, Blicavs, Dempsey
INJURIES
Fremantle: Nil
Geelong: Tanner Bruhn (concussion)
LATE CHANGES
Fremantle: Sean Darcy replaced in selected side by Matt Taberner
Geelong: Gary Rohan replaced in the selected side by Oisin Mullin
SUBSTITUTES
Fremantle: Karl Worner (replaced Matt Taberner in the fourth quarter)
Geelong: Oisin Mullin (replaced Tanner Bruhn in the third quarter)
Crowd: 50,600 at Optus Stadium
