Geelong have staved off a big challenge from Adelaide to claim a five point victory in a nail-biting clash at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday. 

Trailing by one point with less than four minutes remaining, young gun Lawson Humphries stepped to the plate and curled home a brilliant goal, the first of his AFL career to snatch the lead back for the Cats.

Jeremy Cameron then iced the game with his sixth goal of the night, capping off a brilliant performance from Geelong's spearhead and clinching an important four points for the Cats. 

Cameron (17 disposals & six goals) led the way all night, while Tom Stewart (28 disposals) and Tanner Bruhn (23 disposals & eight clearances) were both influential through the midfield. 

The opening quarter proved to be an arm wrestle, but a late Jeremy Cameron goal helped the Cats sneak out to an eight point lead at quarter time. 

Geelong's small forwards wreaked havoc early, with Tyson Stengle and Shaun Mannagh booting the first two goals of the game. 

00:38

Stengle and Mannagh Snap Cats Into Gear

Tyson Stengle and Shaun Mannagh show their prowess around the goals to get Geelong off to a flyer

The scoring ramped up in the second quarter but the Cats were unable to shake the Crows, maintaining their eight point lead heading into the main break. 

Geelong had the ascendancy around stoppages, led by Patrick Dangerfield who collected a game high five clearances in the opening half. 

Jeremy Cameron (12 disposals & three goals) looked threatening inside 50, while Tom Stewart (13 disposals & five tackles) and Tom Atkins (Eight disposals & six tackles) provided plenty of grunt through the middle. 

The see-sawing affair continued in the third quarter, with the Cats conceding the last four goals of the term to trail by three points at the final break. 

Shannon Neale took a big contested mark and kicked an important goal midway through the last term, pulling the Cats back within three points at a crucial stage. 

Lawson Humphries and Jeremy Cameron then clinched their big moments, helping the Cats to seal an important victory. 

Geelong head to Perth next Saturday for a clash with Fremantle at Optus Stadium. 

 

AFL Round 21

GEELONG     3.4     7.5    10.8     13.12    (90)
ADELAIDE    2.2     6.3    11.5      13.7    (85)

GOALS
Geelong: Cameron 6, Mannagh 2, Stengle, O.Henry, Bruhn, Neale, Humphries 1
Adelaide: Thilthorpe, Rachele 3, Walker 2, Murphy, Fogarty, Keays, Sholl, Soligo 1

DISPOSALS
Geelong: Stewart 28, Bruhn 23, Dangerfield 21, Stengle, Holmes 20
Adelaide: Laird 29, Dawson 27, Crouch 26, Sholl 25

SUBSTITUTES 
Geelong: Jack Bowes (replaced Sam De Koning at three quarter time)
Adelaide: Daniel Curtin (replaced Matt Crouch in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 28,939 at GMHBA Stadium