GEELONG 6.2 10.5 12.14 18.17 (125) BRISBANE LIONS 1.5 3.9 6.11 7.14 (56)
GOALS Geelong: Hawkins 4, Dangerfield 3, Kersten 3, McCarthy 2, Motlop 2, Menzel, Bartel, Blicavs, Duncan. Brisbane Lions: Bell 2, McStay, Green, Taylor, Bastinac, Martin.
BEST Geelong: Dangerfield, Selwood, Motlop, Duncan, Hawkins, Enright, Guthrie. Brisbane Lions: Bell, Robinson, Zorko, Bastinac, Martin.
Injuries: Geelong: T Lonergan (calf) replaced in selected side by N Cockatoo. Brisbane Lions: D Rich (hamstring) replaced in selected side by B Evans.
Reports: Brisbane Lions: M Robinson (Brisbane) for engaging in rough conduct against J Selwood (Geelong).
UMPIRES Jeffery, Findlay, Mollison.
CROWD 23,320 at Simonds Stadium.
More Sport Videos
- Video duration
- 01:30
Cats thrash Lions by 69 points
- Video duration
- 00:48
Question of club attire awkward for Mitchell
- Video duration
- 01:36
Cotchin and Mitchell awarded 2012 Brownlow Medals
- Video duration
- 00:27
Carlisle feels sorry for Watson
- Video duration
- 00:35
Shane Yarran charged with assault.
- Video duration
- 00:27
Whitfield ban harsher than just six months
- Video duration
- 00:11
Whitfield different to Bombers
- Video duration
- 00:31
Mixed emotions for Cotchin and Mitchell
Cats thrash Lions by 69 points
Boom recruit Patrick Dangerfield shades skipper Joel Selwood for best afield honours as Geelong turns it on against the Brisbane Lions.
Apologies if it feels like you've read this before: Patrick Dangerfield played his first home game as a Geelong footballer on Sunday night, lit up Simonds Stadium, left the locals panting for more and a hapless opponent simply panting at the exertion of flailing in his wake.
The Cats won by 69 points after leading by 27 at the first break, by which time the sense of deja vu from Dangerfield's pre-season debut in blue and white hoops, against Collingwood in February, had already become joyously eerie.
Just as he'd done against the Magpies in his unofficial debut, Dangerfield began proceedings by sharking Zac Smith's tap at the first bounce and surging away. He won the evening's second clearance after two minutes, too, identical explosive acts set either side of Tom Hawkins' bullocking mark and the first of his four goals four.
By quarter-time the former Crow had won 11 possessions, a hit-out, a couple of frees including a holding the ball after mowing down his marker, Mitch Robinson, like a heat-seeking missile, and two goals. The second of those came after the siren from 60 metres, a party trick he'd wheeled out in February too, albeit when he kept fans waiting until after the three-quarter time bell had rung.
He finished the evening with 26, a whopping of them contested. That he was no sure thing to pocket the votes made for a very pleasant Sunday evening indeed for the vast majority of the crowd, and was perhaps a function of Dangerfield stepping aside to give the other kids a go.
Joel Selwood, whose influence was initially tempered by Ryan Bastinac, burst clear to amass 35 touches, Steven Motlop shrugged off the attention a sluggish start to the season had brought him, Dan Menzel warmed hearts and Tom Ruggles provided the home-grown hero's fairytale element of the storyline with a polished debut across half-back.
If it was a good day to be a Geelong person, it was a decidedly uncomfortable one to be a former Cat.Â
Allen Christensen's first touch was 24 minutes coming and brought neither kick nor handball, just a crunching tackle from Lincoln McCarthy. He finally managed a kick 16 minutes into the second, but surely felt a long way from home rather than quarter of an hour from Lara.
Josh Walker fared little better, finding the forward line he'd never made an entirely happy place in 33 games as a Cat to be an even trickier environment when wearing a Lions jumper. Two gettable second-quarter shots were shanked left and right, amounting to a behind, an out on the full and a measure of embarrassment. He missed another in the last, and was cheeredÂ
The Lions lost their way in the end but ground it out through the middle stages, and in Robinson, Bastinac, Tom Bell and Dane Zorko had contributors who pushed back gamely against the tide. But the margin could and should have been far greater.Â
Hawkins' fourth goal and Motlop's second came in a third quarter of uncommon waste by the Cats, as they went forward 22 times (compared to Brisbane's half dozen) for a return of 2.9. Even Dangerfield missed a set shot.
The game petered out in concert with Dangerfield's influence, but the last term at least featured enough free kicks to give the Cats' their first win of the season in that much-discussed column.
 In a clash that became increasingly spiteful they got the nod from the umpires 31 times to the Lions' 30, Shane Kersten earning two in quick succession as he gave Hawkins some late support, and Dangerfield kicking his third after planting himself in the goalsquare and giving Darcy Gardiner the jitters.
The Lions lost Daniel Rich before the first bounce which paved the way for Billy Evans to come in, while Tom Lonergan dropped out and gave Nakia Cockatoo his first run of 2016. Cockatoo was quiet, but his blind turn and give to Mitch Duncan for one of six last-quarter goals was cream on a satisfying Geelong cake.Â
Poll
Who was the player of round three in the AFL premiership season 2016?
Poll closed 15 Apr, 2016
Disclaimer: These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.