BRISBANE LIONSÂ 3.5 6.6 11.8 11.12 (78)
GEELONGÂ 5.2 15.6 20.9 25.13 (163)
Goals: Brisbane Lions: Zorko 4 Bastinac 3 Hipwood 2 Mathieson McLuggage. Geelong: Hawkins 4 Blicavs 3 Parsons 3 Dangerfield 3 Murdoch 2 Parfitt 2 Duncan 2 Motlop 2 C Guthrie Stanley Smith Bews
Best: Brisbane Lions: Zorko Bastinac Rockliff Beams Mayes. Geelong: Dangerfield Blicavs Duncan Hawkins Selwood Henderson.
Injuries: Brisbane Lions: Walker (corked calf). Geelong: Nil.Â
Umpires:Â Gavine Hay McInerney
Crowd:Â 18,769 at the Gabba
After shooting down the Bombers in fine style at Etihad last week, the Brisbane Lions had to be considered a real chance at home against Geelong – a team that will always give you a chance, if you can get the ball back from them. The first step to beating them, then, is not to give it to them yourself.
The Lions were very competitive for a quarter, and might even have led the Cats at quarter-time had they kicked straighter. But they didn't, and in the second quarter the Cats tore them to ribbons, kicking 10 goals to come close to topping the ton at half-time.
Some of the carnage could be put down to size and match-ups. The Cats were too tall in the air and too slick at ground level. The best player on the ground in the first half was Mark Blicavs, whom the Lions couldn't find a match-up for, and the more headaches he caused, the more Tom Hawkins got off the chain, too.
We could talk from there about the usual suspects, like Patrick Dangerfield tearing through the middle of the ground, and the not so usual, like rookie James Parson who got on the end of three goals in the first half. And about the entertaining dual between Dayne Beams, returning from injury, and Joel Selwood.
And we could talk some more about Dayne Zorko, who kicked one of the goals of the year in the first quarter – a clever chip kick to Hugh McCluggage inside his defensive 50 before he floored the accelerator to accept the ball back and slam the ball home from 60.
Zorko's return of four goals from 36 possessions was underlined by 12 tackles and 10 clearances, as close to a complete midfielder's game as you'd ever see.
But Dangerfield was his equal, finishing with three goals including the last two for the match for the Cats to finish 85 points clear, the Lions' worst loss of the year. He had 38 possessions, nine possessions and nine entries inside Geelong's forward 50. Hawkins finished with four goals.
But at the end of the day, individual efforts aside, the Lions led themselves like lambs to their own slaughter, and not necessarily because they were under excessive pressure in a game that was relentlessly fast and open. They just kept coughing it up, sometimes in defence, sometimes when going into attack, leaving them exposed.
Like Daniel Rich, who kicked aimlessly across field only to see the ball chopped off by a grateful Cam Guthrie. Nick Robertson, one of many Lions to have improved this year, was punished particularly harshly for his hesitant decision-making and lack of vision. Rohan Bewick, in his 100th game, kept losing his feet.
Once on the counter-attack, the Cats, perhaps still smarting from last week's draw against Greater Western Sydney, were ruthless. Mitch Duncan and Dangerfield were the prime movers through the middle, but it was once they were in  attack that the disparity was greatest: 26 marks inside 50 to four was the most telling statistic.
For that reason, the Lions should bring back Josh Schache from the NEAFL next week to take some pressure  off Eric Hipwood, who again showed his star quality: watching him wheel on to his left for a goal from 55 metres in the third quarter explains where some of those Buddy Franklin comparisons are coming from.
If Geelong coach Chris Scott had any quibbles, it would have been that the Cats didn't maintain the intensity for much of the second half, but  it would be a tough taskmaster to mark them too far down, with percentage not an issue after GWS drew a second straight game.