The Cats, who lost Joel Selwood, Corey Enright and Shannon Byrnes before the game, trailed early in the second half before they clicked into gear to win 16.16 (112) to 10.8 (68).
In what could be his final game at Geelong’s home ground, Gary Ablett provided the spark that snapped the Cats out of their lethargy.
Having been kept quiet by tagger Scott Selwood, Ablett booted three goals and took a great mark in the third quarter, enabling his team to end its home-and-away campaign in second place on the ladder.
“It was a dead rubber, really,” Geelong coach Mark Thompson said after the game.
“We didn’t start well but by the end of the game we achieved some of the things we wanted to achieve.”
Ablett finished the game with four majors and 33 possessions, while James Kelly (33 touches), Darren Milburn (31) and Paul Chapman (25) were other good players for the winners.
Chapman sent a scare through the Geelong camp when he limped from the field after copping a knock to the knee in the final quarter, but he returned to the fray and his participation in the finals isn’t in doubt.
“The boys probably ended up a bit more bruised than what they’d hoped for, because we allowed the contest to be what it was,” Thompson said.
Pint-sized onballer Ashton Hams, defender Beau Waters and forward Callum Wilson were the Eagles’ leading contributors.
The biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for Geelong president Frank Costa, who is stepping down at the end of the season after 12 years at the helm.
To mark his final home game in charge, Costa did a lap of the oval in an open-top car before the game and was given a standing ovation by the passionate Cats fans.
However, they were quiet for much of the first term as their players struggled to find some spark.
The Cats had only 1.7 on the board by quarter time, while the Eagles had managed 2.3.
Little changed in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and when Luke Shuey cleverly soccered a goal, the visitors were up by eight points.
The last half of the contest was much more in keeping with expectations, as Geelong showed why it is favoured to win its third flag in four years.
“It was a test for the players today knowing it was their last game and knowing they were coming up against a red-hot team,” West Coast coach John Worsfold said.
“In the second half we got outclassed and Ablett obviously turned the game around, but it was a good learning curve for the young guys to see how that can happen and how quickly that can happen. I thought they hung in there.”
“We were keen to just come down and have a go, play our roles, get some good match-ups for the young guys ... and see where they’re at.”
The Eagles, who were confirmed as wooden-spooners earlier this month, end their season with just four wins.
Geelong 1.7 5.8 10.14 16.16 (112)
West Coast 2.2 5.4 6.5 10.8 (68)
GOALS
Geelong: Ablett 4, Mooney 3, Johnson 3, Hawkins 2, Ling 2, Varcoe, Ottens
West Coast: Wilson 3, Hams 2, Shuey, LeCras, Masten, Stevens, Kennedy
BEST
Geelong: Ablett, Kelly, Milburn, Chapman, Mackie, Ling, Scarlett, Corey
West Coast: Hams, Waters, Rosa, Wilson, Shuey
INJURIES
Geelong: Enright (foot) replaced in selected side by Hunt, Byrnes (virus) replaced in selected side by Menzel, Selwood (buttock) replaced in selected side by Hogan
West Coast: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Stewart, Pannell
Official crowd: 24,099 at Skilled Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
