Sharp-shooting Geelong Cats down fighting Melbourne Demons to maintain their winning start to the season

This was a terrific contest, fast and flowing, scores aplenty and with several lead changes. And at different stages at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, either Melbourne or Geelong looked the likely victor. 

But the side that emerged with the match points had two qualities its opponent didn't. While Melbourne was plagued by inaccuracy at inopportune moments, Geelong was the proverbial dead-eye Dick. 

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And unlike the Demons, missing two absolutely pivotal players in the suspended Jordan Lewis and Jesse Hogan, the Cats had the most important parts of their machine there and fully functioning when it mattered most. 

That shouldn't detract from the efforts of the Demons who were there, however, in a high-standard contest. Particularly after the start the Cats got. Geelong off to a flyer with the first three goals, and they got them easily. 

Dan Menzel converted after a mark on the lead, Tom Hawkins got the first of two for the quarter with a strong grab, and Mark Blicavs, who also helped himself to a couple, charged into an open goal. 

By this stage, Geelong had doubled the Demons for possessions and the inside-50 count was an ominous 8-2. But a little bit of class from Christian Petracca seemed to spark Melbourne into action, a snap over his left shoulder launching Melbourne right into the contest. 

Soon debutant Tim Smith had his first goal in AFL football. That inside-50 count turned right around, the Demons with 14 of the next 17 forward entries and their tackling fierce. 

The only part of the task Melbourne couldn't fulfil was the most important one - putting it on the scoreboard. And that was underlined in a dominant second term. 

Melbourne had it all over the Cats for much of that period, beginning with two goals in under five minutes to start the quarter - Jack Watts the first, and Billy Stretch capping off a lovely chain involving James Harmes and prolific co-captain Nathan Jones. 

Jayden Hunt, terrific off half-back, got in on the act next, his long bomb coming after some concerted forward pressure forced Geelong skipper Joel Selwood into an uncharacteristically hurried clearing kick, promptly sent right back over his head and through the goals. 

Jeff Garlett would boot one, Watts his second, but Melbourne missed more chances than they nailed. Dean Kent missed an open goal, Petracca one he might have kicked, so too Stretch and Sam Weidemann. 

And somehow, Geelong went in at the long break still three points to the good despite having just six inside-50s for the quarter and only 18 for the first half. 

The Cats were just sharper where it counted, Patrick Dangerfield slamming one home after a beautiful tap from Steven Motlop, Hawkins booting his third, Motlop getting on the board himself, and Menzel casually slotting a banana. 

That gave Geelong an 11-point lead again, but even that signal from the goal umpire wasn't as potentially deflating for the Demons as the sight of ruckman Max Gawn reduced to a shuffle, slowly departing the ground with a hamstring injury, leaving Watts, already pinch-hitting in the ruck, as their sole practitioner. 

Still Melbourne kept coming. After the busy Alex Neal-Bullen and Dean Kent booted the first couple of the second half, it was the Demons leading by 11 points. Their forward 50 pressure was superb. But inaccuracy continued to cruel their chances. And on a day their opponent couldn't miss. 

The Cats were 1.2 early in the first term. By the time Dangerfield goalled to give them a critical 15-point lead five minutes into the last quarter, they'd kicked 16 goals without a single behind. 

Menzel and Motlop did it with snappy-looking checksides, Hawkins made every chance count, and after slowish starts, both Selwood and Dangerfield grew into their usual dominance. 

Geelong still trailed by three points at the last change, but by now, particularly after Menzel threaded one at the three-quarter time siren, there was creeping sense of inevitably about the result. 

And thus it proved. With Gawn gone, the gallant Watts was going up and down on the one spot by the finish, complete exhausted. Hawkins, McCarthy and Dangerfield had three on the board within five minutes, and that, essentially, was that. 

The final margin scarcely did the Demons justice. 

They'd made much of the running, and played arguably the more imposing football at times. But their defence was easily penetrated, their centre square set-up further depleted in Gawn's absence, and there was precious little left in the tank by siren time. 

And yep, that pair of suspended stars would have been pretty handy.