The young Bombers have impressed many with their daring play so far this season, but the experienced Cats rode roughshod over them to hold an 78-point lead at three-quarter time before easing to the line for the 20.14 (134) to 11.4 (70) win.
Gary Ablett left the game late favouring his left ankle to give Cats fans some reason for concern, but the little master had well and truly done the damage by then with 30 touches and two goals.
Ablett was one of many winners all over the ground for Geelong with Joel Selwood (37 disposals), Corey Enright (28), Shannon Byrnes (30) and Jimmy Bartel (28) providing the grunt for the impressive performance.
Up front for Geelong Steve Johnson was in stellar touch and finished with six goals while Cam Mooney made a welcome return after a one-week suspension with four majors.
Matthew Lloyd was effectively shut out by Matthew Scarlett with his only goal of the day a gift from Darren Milburn who turned the ball over in the fourth quarter in one of the Cats' few mistakes on the day.
Bachar Houli played one of his best games for the Dons with 31 possessions while Heath Hocking (22 touches and two goals) and Ricky Dyson (22) worked hard.
The Cats did it without their skipper for the most part as well with Tom Harley leaving the match with a hamstring injury late in the first quarter. Max Rooke was also knocked out early in the third after a fearsome head clash with Selwood, but he came back on late in the game.
Tom Bellchambers had a day to forget with just two handballs and four hit-outs to three-quarter time when he left the game with a knee injury.
The Bombers started brightly enough with Jason Winderlich finding Jay Neagle on a quick lead to go a goal up inside the first minute.
Despite Selwood registering his side's first just minutes later, there was nothing wrong with Essendon's endeavour in the early part of the first term and it was just a one-point ball game mid-way through.
But Ablett marked strongly over Hayden Skipworth for his first and, when Steve Johnson kicked a trademark goal from deep in the pocket, the rout was on.
The Cats doubled the Dons' inside 50's for the quarter as Cameron Ling, Byrnes and Rooke all got on the score sheet to help their side to a commanding 33-point lead at the first break.
Dyson added his side's second just after quarter time, but it was one of the few highlights, as Geelong kicked it into high gear with the next five goals making a mess of the Bombers.
The margin was 65 points when Mooney added his second and it was only Neagle's nice effort for a second of his own late in the quarter that dragged the margin back to an even 10 goals at half-time.
Hocking kept fighting with two goals in the third, but the term belonged to Stevie J. I wasn't quantity – he touched the ball six times – but the quality of the Cat maestro's disposals was breathtaking.
He booted four goals including a brilliant effort where he gave the ball off to Ablett, kept running, received it back and coolly converted from an angle.
The margin was unassailable entering the final term, but Matthew Knights will take at least some heart from the way his charges fought out the game to win the last quarter six goals to three.
ESSENDON 1.1 3.1 5.3 11.4 (70)
GEELONG 6.4 12.7 17.13 20.14 (134)
GOALS
Essendon: Neagle 3, Hocking 2, Dyson, McVeigh, Hooker, Lloyd, Stanton, Lovett
Geelong: S Johnson 6, Mooney 4, Byrnes 2, Ling 2, Ablett 2, Selwood 2, Rooke, Varcoe
BEST
Essendon: Stanton, Hocking, Pears, Houli, Ryder, Winderlich, Watson.
Geelong: Selwood, Steve Johnson, Enright, Scarlett, Ablett, Mooney, Ling, Byrnes.
INJURIES
Essendon: Tom Bellchambers (knee)
Geelong: Joel Corey (foot) replaced in selected side by Shannon Byrnes; Harley (hamstring).
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Meredith, Keating.
Official crowd: 48,852 at Docklands
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
