All Eyes On… Monsters Inc. 

The Cats have had a comparatively good run of injuries so far this season, with some obvious exceptions. In that spirit, we’ll likely welcome back a couple of key pillars this week in Gary Rohan and Lachie Henderson.

Rohan kicked five the last time the two sides met back in Round 8, and though the Cats are still missing Jeremy Cameron, we will likely see a bit of Pat Dangerfield up forward, which as a threesome, isn’t too far off the original Three-Headed Monster.

However, structurally a Hendo return is a big win for the Cats.

Despite some un-Richmond like performances over the past month, the Tigers are still very Richmondy forward of the footy.

Jack Riewoldt showed last weekend that he remains very much an A-Grader in his 300th game and Tom Lynch is one of the few players who can rip the game out of the opposition's hands with his power, craft, and feel for the big game.  He may not yet be a third ‘monster’, but it might also be time to start paying attention to young Mabior Chol, who has flashed more than a bit of star power at different times this year when he's gone forward.  

The Misfits have been huge this year, new members and all, but the sight of the wily number 25 taking his usual spot down back will be very welcome.

All Eyes On… AirSava 

It’s hard to know who was more excited about Esava Ratogulea signing a contract extension this week, the Cats faithful or big Sav himself.

If it wasn’t a big enough week for the 22-year-old, he’ll also play his 50th game for the club on Sunday since being taken with the 43rd pick back in 2016.

Cameron Ling was asked on this week’s To the Final Bell what a breakout game for Esava looks like and he had this to say:

“It’s an 8-10 tackle game,” he said. “An eight clearance game, six to eight intercept marks; standing strong in a pack helping out his defenders, with 18-20 possessions.”

“That type of game, that all-around physical, follow up and setting his on-ballers loose with some really strong ‘helping out in the backline’ marks. That feels like what the break-out game will be for Sav.”

Whether something like that happens this week, next week, or a little bit down the track, Cats fans were clearly thrilled with this week’s contract news, and so they should be.

Big things are on the horizon for Big Sav.

All Eyes On… Higgo 250

You can’t get more Geelong than Shaun Higgins.

He and his three siblings grew up in Geelong, Hamlyn Heights to be precise, his Dad Mick played some U19s and Reserves football for the Cats, and his earliest football memories are in the stands of Kardinia Park, complete with blue and white face paint.

From there he graduated to Newtown & Chilwell Football Club and then over to the Geelong Falcons.

If that’s not enough blue and white blood for you, sister Danielle has played 23 games to date for our AFLW team.

Unfortunately, the Western Bulldogs would swoop on the talented junior back in 2005, but after 129 games and 128 goals at the Kennel, and a 108 game stopover at Arden Street with the Kangaroos where he picked up two Best & Fairest medals and an All-Australian jumper, he finally got return to where it all began this season.

This weekend he’ll play his 250th AFL game, and it’s fitting that it’s in hoops.

Go well, Higgo.  

 All Eyes On… GMHBA Stadium The MCG

It was worth a shot.

The Cats will take on the Tigers at the MCG rather than on our home deck down at Kardinia Park at 3.20pm on Sunday afternoon.

The good news is that while the Cats record at GMHBA Stadium speaks for itself, it’s also true that Geelong has a better record at the MCG this year than Richmond does. The Tigers are 3-5 at the ground so far this season, while the Cats are 4-1, the only blemish being against the Demons in Round 4.

All of that said, there’s a bit of anyone, anywhere, anytime type attitude about this group, and besides, who doesn’t love playing at the MCG?

The Run Home: Rich (H), North Melbourne (A), GWS Giants (H), St.Kilda (H), Melbourne (H).

FOR GEELONG, this was about as sweet as they come.

Not only did its 38-point dismantling of Richmond keep the club on pace with the Western Bulldogs at the summit of the AFL ladder, but it also put the biggest dent in the reigning premiers' flag hopes to date.

Having failed at the final hurdle against the same opposition in last year's Grand Final, the utterly dominant 15.5 (95) to 8.9 (57) victory had that extra edge. Where the Cats might have otherwise taken the foot off the pedal in any other game, in this one they kept it planted firmly to the floor.

Geelong's stretch of 10 wins from its last 11 games started with a 63-point win over Richmond back at the start of May. Few in between have been so routine, with key forward duo Tom Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea combining for eight goals to put the Tigers to the sword.

Patrick Dangerfield also continued his hot recent run of form, winning 28 disposals, seven tackles, seven clearances and kicking a goal in what was both a statement performance individually and collectively. Cam Guthrie, so often his midfield partner in crime, finished with 34 touches and seven clearances of his own.

Despite the scoreline, Richmond had toiled away admirably. Jayden Short (26 disposals, eight marks) was effective from half-back, while Jack Ross (25 disposals, nine marks) was combative through the midfield.

But a fifth loss from six matches has the Tigers heading in the opposite trajectory to the rampant Cats. Set to end the weekend outside of the top-eight yet again, simply making it to September will be an achievement in itself from here.

Even still, Richmond's application – if not its quality – had actually been apparent from the start. Ryan Mansell's desperate chase-down tackle saved a certain Dangerfield goal at one end and led to Jack Riewoldt's early major at the other, which was evident of the Tigers' work rate in the game's opening stages.

However, it came amid a period where Geelong kicked three of the contest's first four goals to open a 10-point lead at quarter-time. In contrast to their opponents, with Dangerfield's missed chance aside, the Cats were making the most of their limited opportunities in an otherwise scrappy display.

That provided Geelong with the perfect platform. As scoring continued to prove difficult, five consecutive goals to begin the second quarter turned a handy buffer into a significant one. The lead ballooned to 41 points by the main break, with the Cats converting control on the scoreboard to control in every aspect of the game.

A few nerves might have developed when Jason Castagna and Jake Aarts pulled back two quick majors to start the second half. But another pinpoint Hawkins shot from deep inside the pocket, this one his fourth for the afternoon, eased any tension.

Instead, the biggest Geelong concern might have been from the bench. Having copped a corked quad in the initial stages of the contest, skipper Joel Selwood battled until midway through the third quarter. Ultimately, he succumbed to the blow and medical sub Quinton Narkle was introduced.

That didn't stop any of the Cats' momentum, though. Ratugolea's second major, right on the stroke of the three-quarter time siren, extended their lead back to 38 points at the final change and proved a dagger to any Tiger hopes of a comeback.

Ratugolea added two more to his tally in the fourth as the margin continued to climb and Richmond's issues continued to be compounded. Its run of three flags in four years and its mantle as the game's best is on the cusp of coming to an end. Geelong might very well be the team to claim that title from them.

Hawk kickstarts Cats' dominance

Geelong taught Richmond a lesson in efficiency in the second quarter, as it put the hammer down to race clear of its flag rivals. Tom Hawkins was involved in everything as the Cats stretched their lead from 10 points at the first break to 41 points by half-time. He kicked two goals for the term and had three to the half, as Chris Scott's side managed eight scoring shots from just 13 inside-50s in their most dominant quarter of the game. At the other end, the Tigers failed to find a major as their fifth loss in six matches quickly became inevitable.

Cats backline keeps Tigers at bay … again

Geelong's defensive system was as dominant and as effective as ever on Sunday. This time, it was Richmond's time to feel the pain. For a third straight week – having also achieved a similar feat against Carlton and Fremantle – Tom Stewart, Lachie Henderson, Jack Henry and co. kept their opposition to just one goal at half-time. It took Richmond 20 minutes into the first quarter to find the target through Jack Riewoldt, then close to another 40 minutes before Jason Castagna got the side's next major. In between was a goalless term in the second quarter, where Geelong kicked five unanswered goals to set up its victory.

GEELONG        3.0     8.3    10.3     15.5 (95)
RICHMOND    1.2     1.4     3.7        8.9 (57)

GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 4, Ratugolea 4, Miers, Stanley, Dangerfield, Rohan, Narkle, Close, Parfitt
Richmond: Aarts 2, Riewoldt 2, Castagna, Lynch, Cotchin, Lambert

BEST
Geelong: Dangerfield, Hawkins, Guthrie, Ratugolea, Stewart, Smith, Stanley
Richmond: Short, Rioli, Ross, Mansell, Parker

INJURIES
Geelong: Selwood (quad)
Richmond: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Narkle (replaced Selwood)
Richmond: Caddy (unused)

Crowd: 0 at the MCG