THESE are the seven 'outs' from the Geelong team that beat St Kilda in round 13: Josh Hunt and Mathew Stokes (both suspended); Brad Ottens and Nathan Vardy (rested); Jimmy Bartel (concussion), Darren Milburn (calf) and James Kelly (ankle).

These are the seven 'ins' who lined up against Adelaide at Skilled Stadium on Sunday: Shannon Byrnes (had previously played 99 games), Tom Hawkins (69), Allen Christensen (six), Tom Gillies (six), Dawson Simpson (two), Steven Motlop (one) and Mitch Brown (debut).

And this was the final score in the Cats' clash with the Crows: Geelong 19.11 (125) defeated Adelaide 10.13 (73).

The Cats' 52-point victory (they led by 80 mid-way through the last quarter), in which youngsters Brown and Daniel Menzel led the way with three goals each, sums up where the two clubs are at.

A supreme level of confidence permeates Geelong's entire list, whereas the majority of players in the Crows' squad seem bereft of self-belief.

Keep in mind that the home side was also without star midfielder Joel Selwood (suspended) and veteran forward Cameron Mooney, who is returning from injury through the VFL.

If some of the players on the park were unfamiliar to the Geelong fans, the way the contest panned out was not.

With a stiff breeze at their backs, the Cats booted the first five goals, racing to a 32-point lead by the 16-minute mark of the opening quarter (at that stage the inside-50s were 16-2).

By 12 minutes into the second term, the scoreboard read 9.4 (58) to 1.2 (8) and Geelong's 27th consecutive win at Skilled Stadium - also its 13th straight victory in 2011 - was a done deal.

Eight points clear on top of the ladder, Geelong is cruising towards September. Adelaide, on the other hand, is in a place as dark as a Scandinavian winter.

Influential players
With Selwood and Bartel sidelined, Corey Enright took up the slack in the midfield. He had 23 possessions in the first half (only one was contested, which demonstrated the lack of pressure for the Crows) and finished with 35. Matthew Scarlett also did as he pleased in the backline, the veteran amassing 17 disposals before he was subbed off early in the third quarter. Scarlett was replaced by speedy forward Shannon Byrnes, whose appearance meant he was finally able to chalk up his 100th match. He had played his 99th in last year's preliminary final against Collingwood, but he was dogged by a range of leg injuries during the early part of this season.

In his 150th game, Adelaide onballer Scott Thompson picked up 32 touches and laid eight tackles. He fought an almost lone battle against the navy blue and white onslaught.

Magic moment
Mitch Brown's first AFL game was a long time coming. The highly-rated 20-year-old forward was recruited by Geelong in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, but he suffered a broken leg in early 2009 and missed most of that season. He returned last year, only to dislocate his shoulder in the VFL and endure another long stint on the slidelines. Brown finally achieved a lifelong dream when he ran out for the Cats against the Crows, and 34 seconds into the opening quarter he brought the partisan crowd to life by soccering a goal with his first kick. He ended the afternoon with three goals.

Stats that don't matter
Coaches love saying how important it is to win the clearances. Well, this game threw up a pretty compelling argument that clearances have no impact on the outcome of a game of footy. For much of the game Adelaide didn't even look like scoring, let alone winning, yet the clearance-count at the end of the match was 41-31 in its favour.

Oldest newie
On a dark day for Adelaide, mature-age debutant Ian Callinan at least showed some desire to win the ball. The 28-year-old, who was recruited by the Crows in last year's rookie draft after a couple of good seasons with Central District in the SANFL (before that he'd won a Liston Trophy while playing for Tasmania in the VFL), gathered 21 possessions and kicked a late goal.

The next four
Geelong: Essendon (Etihad), West Coast Eagles (Paterson's), Brisbane Lions (Gabba), Richmond (Etihad)
Adelaide: Sydney Swans (AAMI), Bye, Essendon (AAMI), St Kilda (Etihad)

Dream Team highlight
Geelong: Corey Enright ($322,400) scored 101 points to half-time and finished the game with 153 points. Skipper Cameron Ling (114), Allen Christensen (112) and Andrew Mackie (101) also topped the ton.
Adelaide: Bernie Vince ($295,700) scored 116 points to be one of three Crows alongh with Sam Jacobs (104) Scott Thompson (101) to exceed 100 points.

QUARTER BY QUARTER

First Quarter
Geelong kicked the first five goals before Adelaide managed to hit the scoreboard. The one-way traffic began within a minute as the Cats' first gamer Mitch Brown soccered a goal through after 34 seconds. The ball was almost exclusively inside the Cats' 50m arc and Adelaide was unable hit targets on the rebound. Geelong's defence was one part of the combination intact after the changes at the selection table and Harry Taylor and Matthew Scarlett just mopped up on the rare occasions the Crows went forward. A slight breeze favoured Geelong but they had the ball in control. Brown sealed the quarter with a goal on the siren and the game was all over, the margin the only matter to be decided.
Geelong 7.3 (45) v Adelaide 1.1 (7)

Second Quarter
More of the same as Geelong dominated the game, however the Cats' efforts did not translate on to the scoreboard as easily as in the first term. Perhaps it was the wind or perhaps it was just the general apathy that descended on the match. Travis Varcoe was providing some interest as he skirted around packs, flicking the ball back and forth before pumping it forward. Adelaide's forward structure was completely missing, with Kurt Tippett having no hope, surrounded by three Geelong defenders every time the ball came near him. Eventually Neil Craig pushed Tippett into the ruck and made Scarlett accountable but the bird had well and truly flown.
Geelong 9.6 (60) v Adelaide 2.2 (14)

Third Quarter
Rain greeted the players as they returned after half-time, the lights at the top of the Reg Hickey Stand the only glow left. Two posters from point blank range from set shots - first from Kurt Tippett, then Mitch Duncan - gave watchers a laugh but then it settled into a dour struggle. Adelaide managed to kick two goals in succession but Geelong dominated. The Cats kicked five goals to stretch the margin to 64 points, but got a scare when Daniel Menzel limped off, while Scarlett was subbed from the game.
Geelong 14.10 (94) v Adelaide 4.6 (30)

Fourth Quarter
With the game well and truly over the only interest left was whether the Crows could limit the damage. Geelong continued to dominate but once again the scoreboard was immaterial with the Cats in complete control. An excellent goal from the boundary by Bernie Vince was the only highlight for the Crows. Adelaide kept plugging away with the sting out of the game, kicking five goals to outscore the Cats in the final quarter. Ian Callinan's debut and his last quarter goal were rare bright spots for the Crows.

Geelong: 7.3 9.6 14.10 19.11 (125)
Adelaide: 1.1 2.2 4.6 10.13 (73)

GOALS
Geelong: Menzel 3, Brown 3, Johnson 2, Varcoe 2, Christensen 2, Ling 2, Mackie, Wojcinski, Podsiadly, Duncan, Motlop
Adelaide: Reilly 2, Vince, Van Berlo, Gunston, Sloane, Douglas, Dangerfield, Callinan

BEST
Geelong: Enright, Varcoe, Ling, Taylor, Menzel Corey, Christensen, Mackie
Adelaide: Vince, S. Thompson, Callinan, Rutten, Sloane

INJURIES
Geelong: None
Adelaide: Henderson (concussion), Schmidt (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Matthew Scarlett replaced by Shannon Byrnes at the 13-minute mark of the third quarter
Adelaide: Shaun McKernan replaced by Jack Gunston at half-time.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Heath Ryan, Stuart Wenn, Shane McInerney

Official crowd: 23, 246 at Skilled Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs