The Geelong champion led the Cats into battle for the 50th time in style. Pre-game his mum, Maree, gave him a kiss on the cheek as she joined him to toss the coin. He then lined up at the centre bounce alongside younger brother Scott – who shapes as a future captain of West Coast – and began the celebrations. He kicked the first goal of the game (inside two minutes) and had 17 possessions by half-time. He even threw in the obligatory kamikaze collision that took the wind out of him in the third quarter when he tried to stop Sharrod Wellingham from marking. Quieter in the second half when the game was won, he did his best work when needed most. The scary thing to consider is that Selwood is just 25 so, after three premierships, he should enter the peak years of his career soon.

The Cats stretched their recent record at Simonds Stadium to 45 wins in their past 47 games at the venue. West Coast kicked four goals in the first quarter but then the Cats dominated with 12 unanswered goals after quarter-time. In an era where the game's aesthetics are being debated, the Cats play brilliant, direct, open football. They spread and run and share the ball. Geelong had 114 more disposals, 78 more marks and 69 more uncontested possessions than the Eagles. Steve Johnson's erratic delivery at times became the only unpredictable feature of the game. That was only interesting because it was easy to identify it as an area to improve. It means the Cats once again face Hawthorn on Easter Monday in top form, with the rivals the only two undefeated teams after four rounds.

 

The night must have well and truly felt like a broken record for West Coast champion Dean Cox. When the ball bounced he passed Glen Jakovich's club games' record, hitting 277 games – the most for a player who started his career on the rookie list. It would be rare that Cox would come up against a team with three capable ruckmen, but the Cats took Hamish McIntosh, Dawson Simpson and a ruck roving Mark Blivacs into the game and it made life harder than usual for Cox. As always he battled hard but he could not dominate proceedings like he has for about 200 of his 277 games. In a further blow for the Eagles he lost the support of Nic Naitanui during the third quarter. In seven games against Geelong at Simonds Stadium he has just one win and a tie to show for it.

 

Adam Simpson's winning run ended in harsh fashion as injuries decimated the Eagles. They did not kick a goal after the 28-minute mark of the first quarter and recorded their lowest score ever against Geelong. After losing Darren Glass, Mark Le Cras and Chris Masten to injury, and Luke Shuey, to suspension from last week, and then lost another midfielder Matt Rosa to illness before the game. West Coast then had to sub off Naitanui after the big man hurt his calf midway through the third quarter. It has lost Shannon Hurn for a month and Beau Waters for the season. It left the Eagles with few answers when the Cats flexed their muscles after quarter-time. West Coast tried to add numbers around the ball but it just left Geelong defenders ready to mop up whenever required. Facing Port Adelaide next week means the tests won't get any easier for Simpson.

 

Dynamic forward Josh Hill would have bad memories of his only previous game at Simonds Stadium. On that day in 2011, he wore a Bulldogs' jumper and was heavily criticised for his lack of effort and his lack of interest when standing on the mark late in the game. However on Saturday night in the first quarter, he created a memorable moment when he kicked a dribble goal from the boundary line on the outside of his foot that was reminiscent of the famous goal from Collingwood forward Peter Daicos late in the famous 1990 Qualifying Final against the Eagles. It was a rare highlight on a tough night for West Coast.