Geelong will need to get Friday night’s blockbuster clash with the Western Bulldogs on their own terms if they’re to take the four points back up the highway according to Cats defender Jed Bews.

The Bulldogs have won their last three games and are coming off a 101 point win in the west, but it’s their speed under the roof at Marvel Stadium that’ll be a key adjustment for the visitors having only played the Dogs there once in the past three years.

“I expect them to have the heat on the game, to play quick, to get the ball going forward,” Bews said this week.

“So for us, it’s not to play into their hands and to play our style against them, and not play that chaotic up and back style.”

Bews said the depth of the Dogs’ midfield means he expects to be playing on any number of their ‘resting’ mids across the night, but the key, he says, will be to make them work when they’re down there.

“As a small defender I'm probably going to go through a few different guys and they're going to have resting mids so for us, it's trying to make them work and not rest when they go forward.

“So it’ll be about being flexible to play on different types, which we've done before, and we're going to be ready for it.” 

Geelong has won 9 of the thirteen games under the roof since 2016, so while the venue will hold no fears for the traveling party, Bews said the team did learn some lessons from their Round 9 loss to the Saints.

“I think it was more just the momentum swing in that game that we need to learn from,” he said.

“We felt like we played pretty well for most of the game, but it was just that third quarter that let us down there so it'll be just on that deck, halting their momentum and nullifying when they do get on top of it.

“There are going to be periods in the game when they're on top, so it's just limiting how much scoreboard impact they can have.” 

GEELONG has held off a rampaging Western Bulldogs to win by 13 points at Marvel Stadium despite the loss of Tom Stewart to concussion.

The Cats had shot out to a 40-point lead before the Dogs ground their way to within just five, with Jeremy Cameron booting three crucial fourth-quarter goals in the 12.11 (83) to 10.10 (70) win.

Dogs star Bailey Smith will have a nervous wait, reported for a headbutt on Zach Tuohy during a three-quarter time scuffle.

In the first quarter, Geelong was simply ferocious, reaching that rare air where every single moment turns to gold and kicking the first six of the match. Jeremy Cameron booted three – including his 500th – as he and Tom Hawkins threatened to tear the game apart.

And then, the circuit breaker. Champion defender Stewart concussed when tackling Smith in the second quarter, and then it seemed to be a question of whether Geelong’s 40-point lead was enough.

The Bulldogs found some dash and dare with their ball movement, closing the gap in the stoppages and taking advantage of a Cats defence which now featured alternating duo Gary Rohan and Mark O’Connor, given Jake Kolodjashnij was a late withdrawal due to health and safety protocols.

However, their entries inside 50 needed more work – the two sides had 27 apiece at the main break, but Geelong were still 24 points ahead.

The Cats then struggled somewhat with their disposal and decision-making as the Bulldogs’ pressure lifted, kicking just two points in the third quarter as the Dogs slowly but surely clawed back five consecutive goals of the own.

Tom Liberatore and Smith were superb, particularly in the third term as the Dogs mounted a comeback, but didn’t have enough support in the first half.

Hawkins received treatment on an injured finger but played out the match.

Come the hour, come the Cameron
The Geelong spearhead was magnificent, coming up against a somewhat undersized Dogs defence. Cameron was crucial in building Geelong’s initial lead, relishing the extra height up forward added by the returning Gary Rohan and moving further afield as a consequence. As the Dogs closed to five points in the last, his last three goals proved to be the difference.

Clash of the blonde titans
The game-long match-up of rising Cats defender Sam De Koning and athletic Dogs key forward Aaron Naughton was an intriguing battle across all four quarters. De Koning stood tall in the first half, while Naughton worked well into the game by the last term, booting what looked to be a crucial major.

Versatile Atkins the Mr Fix-It
Tenacious Cat Tom Atkins was used across all three lines of the ground through the game, his attack on the footy ensuring he was hard to miss. He was one of the Cats’ best, finishing with 20 disposals, eight intercepts and seven score involvements.

WESTERN BULLDOGS     1.5     4.6     6.9     10.10   (70)
GEELONG                          7.2     8.6     8.8     12.11   (83) 

GOALS  
Western Bulldogs: Liberatore 2, Weightman 2, Bontempelli, Khamis, McNeil, Dale, Naughton, English
Geelong: Cameron 6, Hawkins 2, Atkins, Rohan, Close, Duncan 

BEST  
Western Bulldogs: Liberatore, Smith, Dale, Macrae, Dunkley, Bontempelli
Geelong: Parfitt, Atkins, Cameron, C.Guthrie, Z.Guthrie, Duncan

INJURIES  
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Geelong: Stewart (concussion) 

LATE CHANGES
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Geelong: Jake Kolodjashnij replaced in selected side by Luke Dahlhaus

MEDICAL SUBS
Western Bulldogs: Mitch Wallis (unused)
Geelong: Quinton Narkle (replaced Stewart in the second quarter)