After three premierships and a Norm Smith medal in 251 games with Geelong, Paul Chapman decided to extend his career with Essendon rather than retire as a one-club player. The 32-year-old was rested last week against Adelaide so he was in tip-top shape for the game against his old club. His new team's cheer squad welcomed him with a line on his banner that perhaps overstated his departure but was fun nonetheless: 'Chappy looking good in black and red, let's make it eight against the team he fled'. Chapman didn’t look dangerous at any stage in the first half, with just three short kicks and a couple of marks. He tried hard late but could not have an influence and did not score. His 11 possessions were his lowest tally in a full game since the 2008 qualifying final. Essendon coach Mark Thompson, who coached the Cats to two flags and helped build the club into an on-field force, also faced his old side as a senior coach for the first time. He sent his chief tagger Heath Hocking to Steven Motlop, a player he only coached for one game.  

Pre-game, former Geelong skipper Cameron Ling said on 3AW that the Cats couldn't win the 2014 flag if they didn't beat Essendon. The signs looked ominous when the Cats lost the lead in the third quarter after taking a 29-point lead into half time. Geelong conceded six goals in succession and was staring down the barrel of a fifth loss in nine games, which would have been its worst run since 2006. It had been held goalless in the third quarter – the first time it had failed to kick a goal against Essendon since round four, 1997. But through their youngsters, Motlop and Mitch Duncan, the Cats got off the canvas once again. The Cats can now build on their 10-4 record against the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney in the next three weeks. 

The Geelong skipper was half-fit at best after grabbing at his right leg midway through the first quarter. He had just six disposals in the first term, and wasn't breaking away from packs with his usual power. Geelong coach Chris Scott pushed Selwood forward at the start of the second quarter, gambling that the club's talisman could provide something inside 50. Selwood did not let him down, kicking two goals in three minutes and taking a mark in between two defenders that he had no right to take. Selwood's lack of kicking power was costly late in the quarter when he gave up a goal with a poor clearing kick inside defensive 50. 

In the absence of skipper Jobe Watson and down by 29 points at half time, Essendon needed someone to lift. It came in the familiar form of 22-year-old midfielder Dyson Heppell, who turned in a premiership quarter to remember. He had 11 disposals, five contested possessions and four clearances as he turned the momentum Essendon's way. His 40 possessions were a career-high, and 12 more disposals than any other player in the match.     

In the last quarter, Motlop kicked two of the best goals of the season from the outside of his right boot when tradition, convention and the state of the game demanded that he kick the ball around his body. Motlop isn't one to do the conventional, using his speed to gain some space and then bursting towards the hot spot before kicking a banana goal while his body faced the forward pocket. It wasn't all brilliance for Motlop in the final quarter; he missed a relatively easy shot on the run, and looked injured after banging his right knee on the turf when chased down and tackled by Courtenay Dempsey.