GEELONG has won its 25th successive match at Skilled Stadium, and broken a VFL/AFL record that lasted more than 70 years, in defeating North Melbourne by 66 points on Saturday afternoon.The Cats led by 10 goals half way through the third quarter before cruising to a 19.13 (127) to 9.7 (61) victory.James Kelly (34 possessions) and Joel Selwood (32 disposals and two goals) dominated in the midfield, while Jimmy Bartel was another important contributor for the winners.Geelong had 12 goalkickers, with Mathew Stokes and James Podsiadly leading the way with three.Stokes' opponent for much of the afternoon, Brady Rawlings, battled hard across half-back for North Melbourne.Liam Anthony also tried his best to inspire the lacklustre Kangaroos, while key forward Drew Petrie kicked three first-half goals before fading out of the contest.Geelong's victory saw Chris Scott take the honours in the first home and away coaching battle against his twin brother Brad.The Cats' victory win broke the record for most consecutive wins at one venue, surpassing Richmond at the Punt Road Oval (1932-35) and South Melbourne at the Lake Oval (1934-36).Geelong's last loss at its home ground was to Port Adelaide in round 21, 2007.Without Steve Johnson, who pulled out of the selected side with a shoulder problem, the Cats began the game as expected, opening a 13-point lead inside the first five minutes.But the Kangaroos, who were missing key forward Lachie Hansen due to a back injury, fought back strongly during the remainder of the opening term.A big pack mark and goal from Petrie narrowed the margin to just six points early in the second quarter, before a brilliant left-foot snap from veteran Darren Milburn (the only man to play in all 25 consecutive victories at Skilled Stadium) inspired the Cats.They kicked five of the next six goals and opened a 30-point advantage at the long break.Perhaps with an eye on next Friday's blockbuster against Collingwood, Geelong substituted Ottens at half time, leaving Tom Hawkins and Cameron Mooney to carry the ruck duties.The change did nothing to slow the Cats' charge as they opened the third quarter with three goals in five minutes.That blew the margin out to 48 points and from there Geelong cruised to yet another victory on its home turf.

Influential players
Big forward James Podsiadly played his best game of the season to date. He kicked three goals, picked up 15 possessions and hauled in a number of strong contested marks. Podsiadly had the better of North Melbourne defenders Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson and Nathan Grima.Drew Petrie tried hard to keep North Melbourne in the game during the first half. Manned up at various times by Tom Lonergan, Harry Taylor (who has never played in a loss at Skilled Stadium) and Matthew Scarlett, he kicked two goals in the opening quarter and another in the second. The highlight of his performance was a huge pack mark over Jimmy Bartel during the second quarter.

Magic moment
Although they were in front, the Cats looked like a team that needed some inspiration early in the game. In the second minute of the second quarter, 19-year-old Daniel Menzel rose to the occasion. After Joel Corey booted a long kick deep into Geelong's forward line, Menzel, who was being picked up by Firrito, stuck out his right arm and hauled in a brilliant one-handed mark. The crowd, which had been all but silent, finally belted out a decent cheer.

What it means
Having done nothing to play down their premiership chances by shredding the Roos, the Cats now turn their attention to Friday night's top-of-the-ladder blockbuster against Collingwood at the MCG. The clash will pit the two remaining undefeated teams against each other, and the crowd should top 80,000.North Melbourne remains in the bottom four on the ladder with only one win to its name. After talking up their finals chances during the pre-season, the Kangaroos are rapidly losing touch with the top eight.

Dream Team highlight
Geelong: A $328,600 forward, Mathew Stokes had been averaging 83 Dream Team points per game. But his three-goal effort against the Kangaroos amounted to an impressive 132 points.North Melbourne: Daniel Pratt, a $272,500 defender, had earned only 170 Dream Team points in the first six rounds of the season. Against the Cats, however, he showed he could still cut it at the highest level by notching 106 points.

Next four
Geelong: Collingwood (MCG), Carlton (Etihad Stadium), Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium), Western Bulldogs (Skilled Stadium)North Melbourne: Melbourne (Etihad Stadium), Brisbane Lions (Gabba), Sydney Swans (Etihad Stadium), Adelaide (Etihad Stadium)

Geelong                   4.4    10.5    16.11    19.13 (127)
North Melbourne    3.3    5.5        8.5       9.7 (61)

GOALS
Geelong: Stokes 3, Podsiadly 3, Menzel 2, Varcoe 2, Selwood 2, Mackie, Kelly, Milburn, Duncan, Hawkins, Chapman, Bartel
North Melbourne: Petrie 3, Wright 2, Thomas, Wells, Harper, Speight

BEST
Geelong: Varcoe, Selwood, Podsiadly, Corey, Bartel, Kelly, Stokes
North Melbourne: Wells, Anthony, Rawlings, Petrie

INJURIES
Geelong: Steve Johnson replaced in selected side with a sore shoulder Allen Christensen
North Melbourne: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Brad Ottens replaced by Allen Christensen at half time.
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell replaced by Ben Cunnington at half time

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Chris Donlon, Corey Brown, Justin Schmitt

Official crowd: 23,669
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs