Given the result looked beyond doubt 10 minutes into the first quarter, the biggest interest remained in the margin, how many key forward Tom Hawkins could kick and whether St Kilda could kick a respectable total. In the end no records were broken, with the Cats failing to defeat the Saints by more than 100 points after a late goal to St Kilda midfielder David Armitage dragged the margin back to 96 points. Hawkins played well taking 13 marks, but his first goal came on the siren at three-quarter time and he kicked two more in junk time. The Saints kicked three goals in the final quarter to finish with five, but it will still finish the round on the bottom of the ladder.
2. Two debuts for Cats
Half of Colac arrived at Simonds Stadium to watch Darcy Lang make his debut for the Cats after being pick No.16 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft. After being forced to wait until after half-time before the starting substitute was brought into the action, Lang gave his fans an immediate thrill by kicking a goal with just his third kick. Alongside him on debut was South Australian Brad Hartman, who progressed more slowly than Lang after being pick No.77 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft. He has been a slow burn but he earned his spot and performed well. After 10 players made their debut with the Cats in 2012, the club's constant evolution continues under Chris Scott. It was a nice, gentle introduction to AFL football for both players.
3. Marks inside 50
Poor Nick Riewoldt kept presenting and pushing back to protect the goals whenever he could, but he never had a chance. The delivery to the champion forward was abysmal and he rarely had a chance to contest for a mark let alone take one. At the end of the game Geelong had 23 marks inside 50 compared to St Kilda's two, with Hawkins having taken five marks himself. Only Brodie Murdoch and Leigh Montagna managed a mark inside 50 for the Saints. Having subbed off Tom Lee before half-time, the Saints were clearly attempting to bolster its numbers around the ball, however it only helped them limit the damage rather than kick a respectable score.
4. The Murdoch Brothers
Geelong's Jordan Murdoch and St Kilda's Brodie Murdoch took to the field as opponents for the first time. Jordan has cemented a spot in the Cats' line-up this season, playing every game so far. He has progressed gradually since being pick No.48 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft. Brodie made his debut for St Kilda in round five, 2013, but he was playing just his third game for the Saints this season. The left-footed sons of a handy former Norwood player Roger Murdoch look to have solid careers ahead of them. Jordan finished the day with two goals while St Kilda's Brodie battled hard to make the most of limited opportunities.
5. Selwood is the first-goal master
He would hardly be the most obvious candidate to kick the first goal for Geelong, but Joel Selwood had done so five times in the past 22 games the Cats have played. Once again he kicked the first goal, moving into position to mark and kick truly against St Kilda. That was after several days of speculation that he would miss the game with soreness (a condition the Cats' skipper is probably familiar with). Selwood kicked 30 goals last season as he lifted his performance to another level. This season he has kicked 12 goals, with two – against Richmond and Carlton – being last quarter match-winners. However if you're looking to someone to hit the scoreboard early, Selwood is the man.
