GEELONG has had Richmond's measure for more than two decades, and nothing changed when the clubs met at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Cats' error-riddled 62-point victory was their 14th win in 16 games against the Tigers since 2000.
Despite being without ruckman Brad Ottens (rested) and star playmaker Steve Johnson, who withdrew from the team after failing to recover from a corked thigh, Geelong led 11 goals to one at half-time.
Chris Scott's men ambled through the remainder of the clash, Travis Varcoe and Tom Hawkins finishing with three goals each as they won 17.11 (113) to 7.9 (51).
However, Geelong does have a few concerns. Shannon Byrnes, who has missed most of the season with leg injuries, strained his calf during the second quarter and was subbed out of the game at half-time, while James Podsiadly and Mathew Stokes both suffered head knocks.
The Cats' medical staff fear Podsiadly may have suffered a facial fracture and he is likely to undergo scans on Monday.
Stokes was diagnosed with concussion, although Scott believes he will be available to take on Melbourne at Skilled Stadium next weekend.
It was a nightmarish afternoon for Richmond. The Tigers lost their skipper Chris Newman to a knee injury midway through the opening quarter (it was described by club doctor Greg Hickey as being "relatively" serious), which forced Damien Hardwick to sub him out of the game for Shane Edwards.
Making matters worse, youngster Jake Batchelor suffered a shoulder injury just 10 minutes later.
That meant Richmond had to play out the remaining three terms with only two players on the bench.
Opposed to Matthew Scarlett for most of the game, Jack Riewoldt collected only two possessions in the first half. But he fought back after the long break and finished with three goals, taking his season's tally to 50.
The Tigers, who are languishing in 13th place on the ladder, have now lost 31 of their past 38 games against the Cats.
Geelong remains only percentage behind top side Collingwood, although the Cats have played one more game than the Magpies.
QUARTER BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
Travis Varcoe kicked the first goal of the match with one of his trademark snaps. The Tigers were dealt a massive blow midway through the quarter with captain Chris Newman leaving the ground with a knee injury and replaced by substitute Shane Edwards. Both sides were guilty of costly turnovers by foot, with the Tigers swamped by the Cats as they tried to clear their defensive zone. Small forward Matthew Stokes booted two goals while Varcoe finished off a brilliant coast-to-coast goal for the Cats. Jack Riewoldt kicked the Tigers' first major before Jake Batchelor also headed down into the rooms with a shoulder injury.
Geelong by 18 points
SECOND QUARTER
The Cats continued from where they left off, with Shannon Byrnes kicking two goals as Chris Scott's men ran rampant. The Tiger back line was under siege, forced to over-possess with handballs as they struggled to find any targets rebounding from their defensive 50. After a torpedo kick-in by Josh Hunt, Allen Christensen finished off another coast-to-coast goal for the Cats with a classy snap from deep in the pocket. It was all one-way traffic, with the Cats' big men also getting involved. Tom Hawkins had two goal assists and one major to his name while Trent West plucked a big grab and kicked his first of the day.
Geelong by 61 points
THIRD QUARTER
It took just a minute for the Cats to register their first major of the term through Hawkins. After managing just one goal in the first half, the Tigers finally had their second after a strong mark by Tyrone Vickery before Robin Nahas kicked another in his 50th match. The Tigers battled hard and were prepared to kick the ball long to Riewoldt, with the reigning Coleman medalist kicking two goals in the term. But the Cats had all the answers, with Christensen continuing his great form over the past month and Joel Corey running amok through the middle.
Geelong by 70 points
FOURTH QUARTER
Held goalless by his opponent Alex Rance, James Podsiadly spent the final term on the bench as the Cats kicked the first major through Mitch Duncan. Geelong took its foot off the pedal in the last quarter, and the Tigers showed some promising signs, with Damien Hardwick's men finding some space to run and carry through the middle. But they couldn't capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking 2.4 for the term. Stokes was carried off in the arms of the trainers after coming off second best in a crunching collision with Tiger youngster Reece Conca in the only lowlight in the 62 point win.
Geelong by 62 points
Geelong 4.2 11.5 16.9 17.11 (113)
Richmond 1.2 1.4 5.5 7.9 (51)
GOALS
Geelong: Varcoe 3, Hawkins 3, Stokes 2, Byrnes 2, West 2, Christensen 2, Bartel, Corey, Duncan
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Nahas 2, Vickery, Foley
BEST
Geelong: Christensen, Corey, Kelly, Scarlett, Hawkins, West
Richmond: Cotchin, Tuck, Rance, Foley
INJURIES
Geelong: Johnson (corked thigh) replaced in the selected side by Milburn, Stokes (concussion)
Richmond: Newman (knee), Batchelor (shoulder)
SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Shannon Byrnes replaced by Josh Cowan at half-time.
Richmond: Chris Newman (knee) replaced by Shane Edwards during the first quarter.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stewart, Ryan, Wenn
Official crowd: 33, 761 at Etihad Stadium
