Big Dean Cox went into the umpires' book for just the second time in his 271-game career on Saturday with an alleged off-the-ball hit on Geelong skipper Joel Selwood. It was vastly out of character for the multiple All Australian from the Dampier Sharks in the Pilbara. Cox's only previous indiscretion was way back in round 16, 2005, when he was booked for striking Brisbane Lions' ruckman Jamie Charman and took a reprimand and 70.31 points. Charman was a man who could get under the skin, though.

Geelong's triple premiership era from 2007-2011 was built on hardness, silky skills and a gang of fantastic football brains. If they are to repeat the dose in 2013, the run and stun will play a massive part. Steven Motlop, Travis Varcoe, Allen Christensen and Mathew Stokes are pivotal to the Cats' slingshot game plan and it was a joy to watch them run amok on Saturday night. But a tight hamstring saw Motlop subbed off at half-time and ended the full show early.  Watch this space for the injury news on Motlop, who is now one of the most important Cats.

No one was more surprised than Josh Walker when the Cats' property man handed him the long-sleeved jumper before the game. When informed they hadn't packed a sleeveless No.34, Walker took to his jumper with scissors, removing the offending sleeves. But he didn't quite fit in with the rest of the team - his makeshift guernsey didn't have the blue hoops around the armpits like his mates. He did his hopes of playing finals no harm, however, with a bustling effort.

Ryan Crowley's tweet said it all for Fremantle fans with high hopes of a top-two finish and two guaranteed home finals. The Dockers tagger hashtagged that it didn't feel right and he had the soap ready to wash his mouth out but his 'Come on West Coast' call struck a chord with the purple army. It looks like the Cats' hopes of holding out Freo and the Swans and clinging to second spot will come down to their clash with the Sydney Swans at Simonds Stadium next Saturday night. The Cats' top-four spot is assured now, being three games clear of fifth spot.

Geelong's team bus breaking down a couple of hours before the match didn't have much effect on the Cats. The visitors were purring nicely from the start, banging on five unanswered goals in the first 13 minutes, despite the slippery conditions. It might be a bit pricey but organising a bunch of Silver Tops from the Cattery to the 'G during the finals might be have to be put into Brian Cook's budget. Coach Chris Scott said he might have used it as an excuse if the result was different. "If we lost I would have said it had an impact, but it didn’t," Scott said. "These are professional athletes who can deal with a lot more than that, I hope."