A fast-finishing Werribee short-circuited the Cats quest for a breakthrough practice match victory with a 38-point victory at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.

The Tigers seized a stranglehold of the match just minutes into the final quarter after a blistering five-minute exhibition of AFL brilliance from recuperating North Melbourne spearhead Nathan Thompson.

Leading by eight points coming into the final quarter, Thompson catapulted Werribee into an unassailable position with four goals in quick succession.

His irresistible cameo single-handedly ended any chance a tiring Geelong had of salvaging a victory and again resonated as a valuable learning experience for the litter of young Cats.

Geelong, for the best part of the match, looked the best it had all preseason and held a slender lead for most of the afternoon before hitting the skids and relinquishing control late into the third quarter.

For the first time this season, the pendulum of experience was balanced evenly between the two sides, paving the way for the young Cats to flex their muscle with greater impact.

The Cats launched a number of encouraging counterattacks off the halfback line, with the young Cats linking up and surging forward with ominous intent.

With Matthew Firman, Chris Urie and Jack Hollmer playing their first matches of the season, the side had began to resemble the caliber that propelled it to an all-conquering season last year.

The character of the Cats, which coach Leigh Tudor has been at pains to praise every week, could not be questioned, demonstrated by the myriad of tackles and desperate pursuits.

“They have a crack, the boys that come down here are expected to have a go and that’s exactly what they do and today they showed that they were going to have a go for us, which was exciting,” Tudor said.

There is also a growing optimism that the Cats’ VFL list will be one of the strongest in the team’s history, with several of the inevitable diamonds from the rough emerging sooner than expected.

In a massive boost with the season looming, Geelong looks certain to have another former AFL player on its VFL list this season after former AFL player Sam Cranage emerged from obscurity to signal his intent to play VFL football at the Cats.

Cranage, who played 18 matches with St Kilda and Carlton between 1998 and 2002, is close friends with captain James Byrne and was one of the Cats’ best players on the weekend.

His sudden appearance is likely to translate into a season in the hoops, with Tudor declaring he will do everything in his power to ensure the former AFL player plays at the Cats this year.

“If I’ve got anything to do with it he will be on our list,” Tudor said.

“He’s a friend of James Byrne and he’s keen to have a crack at the VFL again and we’d love to have him down here – he’s a very accomplished VFL player.

“He’s exactly the player we need. He’s experienced, he’ll help out the nine new guys that have come into the side this year - he’s the perfect VFL player for our list.”

Cranage’s influence on the contest was surpassed only by teammate Kelly Williams, who complemented his dangerous potential around the stoppages with a ruthless desire to tackle and chase.

Tudor said Williams, who impressed in the Cats’ previous practice matches, was forging a reputation as someone with VFL-quality stamped all over them and could very easily slot into the side.

“Kelly Williams showed us again he’s got the right attributes to make a VFL squad, so I was really happy with his effort today,” Tudor said.

Former Geelong Falcons captain Sam Stavenuiter, who endured an injury-plagued preseason, heralded the attributes that made him such a highly regarded player coming into this season.

The game was not even a quarter old when the burly 19-year-old asserted his presence in attack with three scintillating leads from the goal square, all of which resulted in goals.

Tudor said the performance was promising, given he sees plenty of room for improvement.

“His three goals were all on the lead, his timing was fantastic, and taking contested marks against quality opponents in your first year out of junior football is really good.

“There’s a lot to work with there. He kicked three against Werribee, which is a really good effort by him.”

The Cats take on North Ballarat this Saturday at Skilled Stadium from 1pm.