The Cats hit their best form of the season and were unrelenting with their pressure on the young Eagles side, running out 28.14 (182) to 5.17 (47) victors.
Coach John Worsfold expressed his willingness during the week to play the best sides in the competition in order to educate his younger brigade - his only regret on Saturday night may have been the absence of Chris Masten (injured) and Jamie McNamara (omitted) as Geelong put on a clinic.
Will Schofield, 19, had the better of mercurial Cat Steve Johnson and showed his grit with a desperate, goal-saving smother in the final stages.
After spending the majority of 2008 in the back half Andrew Embley was used through the middle doing all he could to negate the Cats' superstar runners. And it is unlikely anyone has ever worked harder than Daniel Kerr for 22 touches as Cameron Ling kept one hand in the star's pocket for the entire night.
But where the Eagles struggled for space to execute cleanly Geelong could not put a foot wrong. Gary Ablett (37 possessions and two goals) stood out but he had support acts lining up to show off their precise skills.
It resulted in 12 separate goal scorers for the visitors, Cameron Mooney (five goals), Paul Chapman (five) and James Kelly (four) the major beneficiaries.
The difference in disposal was telling from the outset with West Coast turning the ball over far too often and putting its defence under immense pressure as a result.
The Eagles were winning the clearances, they were entering inside 50 enough and the difference in the possession count was marginal – but in terms of efficiency, Geelong devastated the home side while the Eagles devastated the home fans.
Geelong had six goal kickers in the opening term, with Kelly booting two, while it took West Coast until time-on to find a goal with Mark LeCras marking cleverly and kicking truly. But he was a lone ranger.
Poor kicking cost the Eagles, both in front of goal and around the ground, as they entered the first break 34 points behind.
West Coast came out in the second term and targeted the contested football, indeed they won more of it than Geelong for the first half, but once more they could not dispose of it efficiently and handed Geelong easy goals.
Tom Lonergan and Chapman both goaled before West Coast moved forward and it was again LeCras snaring a fumbled ball from Josh Hunt to snap the Eagles' second.
But the Cats, clearly hitting top pace, kicked the next four of the quarter to hit the main break more than ten goals clear.
The last of the first half to Ablett told a sorry tale for the home side as the Brownlow favourite was gifted the ball 20 metres out and straight in front. It was Geelong's tenth goal resulting from a West Coast turnover.
Things got ugly for West Coast in the third as Geelong went on a seven-goal to nil run, piercing the Eagles' resistance and smashing a host of records as it marched to a 106 point lead deep into the quarter.
They booted 10 goals for the quarter and when Andrew Mackie goaled at the 13-minute mark the 95-point margin equalled West Coast's biggest loss to the Cats.
Adam Hunter broke the monotony when Embley found him on the angle with a precise pass but it was cancelled out soon enough by Brent Prismall.
Mark LeCras kicked his third for the night in the final term and Dean Cox got on the scoreboard, but Geelong's stars in Johnson, Chapman, Jimmy Bartel, Ablett and Kelly all felt obliged to extend the margin and cap off a sorry night for West Coast.
West Coast 1.5 2.9 3.14 5.17 (47)
Geelong 7.3 13.6 23.10 28.14 (182)
GOALS
West Coast: LeCras 3, Cox, Hunter
Geelong: Mooney, Chapman 5, Kelly 4, Ablett, Johnson, Lonergan, Rooke, Varcoe 2, Bartel, Mackie, Prismall, Taylor
BEST
West Coast: Kerr, Cox, LeCras, Schofield
Geelong: Ablett, Chapman, Mooney, Kelly, Enright, Mackie, Selwood
INJURIES
West Coast: Adam Selwood (throat)
Geelong: Stokes replaced in selected side by Wojcinski
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Rosebury, Kamolins
Crowd: 38,414 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
