GEELONG has belted lowly North Melbourne by 62 points to break back into the top eight ahead of next week's crucial game against Essendon.

The regulation 19.11 (125) to 9.9 (63) win on Sunday at GMHBA Stadium was marked by milestones, with Cats star Zach Tuohy breaking Jim Stynes' record for the most games by an Irishman.

CATS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

In his 265th game, Tuohy delighted Geelong fans when he unsuccessfully tried one of his trademark torpedo kicks in the last term from full-back.

As Tuohy was honoured for his longevity, North's Cooper Harvey was mobbed by teammates when he kicked a goal on debut in the final quarter.

Harvey is the son of North great Brent Harvey, the AFL games record holder with 432.

Geelong started the round in 10th spot, half a game outside the top eight, and the reigning premier faces the eighth-placed Bombers next Saturday night in a vital encounter.

North made a bright start with two of the opening three goals, but the Cats then killed off the contest with an 11-goal run.

The Kangaroos' third goal came nine minutes into the third term and the margin blew out to 68 points before North rallied to stop a rout.

North defender Griffin Logue was subbed out of the game in the first term with a knee injury and co-captain Jy Simpkin also went off in the first half, due to concussion.

Tyson Stengle kicked five goals and Oliver Henry booted four for the Cats and Mitch Duncan impressed with 30 disposals, while Luke Davies-Uniacke was best for North and kicked two goals to go with 28 touches.

A day to remember for Tuohy
Zach Tuohy enjoyed his record-breaking day with 18 disposals in the Cats' big win. Surpassing Jim Stynes for the most number of VFL/AFL games played by an Irishman, Tuohy had a decent outing and unleashed a huge torpedo from a kick in, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Cooper makes instant impact
The son of AFL great Brent, Cooper Harvey made his debut on Sunday – and it didn't take him long to have an impact. Harvey's first touch was a goal assist, handballing to Darcy Tucker for the game's opening goal. It was a difficult afternoon as the Cats dominated, but Harvey also kicked his first goal and took a game-high five contested marks.

Miserable run continues for Roos
After winning their opening two games of the season, North has lost 14 straight. The Cats put them away early, kicking eight goals to two in the opening term, and complete control in the middle helped Geelong take charge. The Cats won the centre clearances 8-0 in the first term and never looked back, but the Roos did at least fight had in the second half.

GEELONG                             8.5     11.5     14.8     19.11 (125)
NORTH MELBOURNE           2.0       2.4       5.7        9.9 (63)

GOALS 
Geelong: Stengle 5, O.Henry 4, Hawkins 3, Close 3, Rohan, J.Henry, Duncan, Bowes
North Melbourne: Larkey 2, Davies-Uniacke 2, Tucker, Stephenson, Perez, Harvey, Ford

BEST 
Geelong: Duncan, Atkins, Stengle, Stewart, Blicavs, O.Henry, Miers
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, McKay, Greenwood, Xerri

INJURIES 
Geelong: Nil
North Melbourne: Logue (knee), Simpkin (concussion)

LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Nil
North Melbourne: George Wardlaw (managed) replaced in selected side by Charlie Lazzaro

SUBSTITUTES 
Geelong: Oliver Dempsey (replaced Mark Blicavs in third quarter)
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell (replaced Griffin Logue in first quarter)

Crowd: TBC at GMHBA Stadium