After leading by 58 points early in the last quarter, the Cats took their foot off the pedal to cruise to a 35-point victory, 14.14 (98) to 9.9 (63).
Despite conceding the last four goals of the game, Thompson wasn’t concerned by his side’s subdued finish.
“I don’t think you can be too critical of the end,” he said after the game.
“They know that the game was in control. It wasn’t the best game of year to watch [or] to be involved in. We just did what we needed to do.
“I think everyone probably had their eye towards next Saturday’s game against Hawthorn.”
The Cats meet the Hawks at the MCG next week in what promises to be the game of the round.
Not only did the two teams play what many consider the game of the season so far - the round-two clash on Easter Monday - but Hawthorn has re-emerged as a potential September power having won seven in a row.
Geelong is certain to again see finals action although the coach admits his side is enduring a tough time.
“We’ve had a reasonable year but we’ve just hit a few hurdles recently that are quite a challenge for us,” Thompson said.
“We’re not playing our best football and we haven’t had the group settled for a little while so it’ll certainly be an interesting match.”
Injuries and suspension mean the Cats have been without their best line-up for several weeks, however things are starting to look up.
Thompson said skipper Cameron Ling, a late withdrawal on Sunday, should be back to face the Hawks while key big men Brad Ottens and Tom Hawkins were also chances to return.
The question confronting the Cats will be how many underdone players they risk in what is likely to be a highly-physical clash.
“They’re both [Ottens and Hawkins] a real good chance to play,” Thompson said.
“Whether we play them or not [I’m not sure]. We’ve just got Joel Corey back, Scarlett hasn’t played much footy, throw Ottens and Hawk in there that have missed a month ... I’m not sure whether that’s the smartest thing to do.
“We haven’t probably given it enough thought.”
