AN OUT-OF-SORTS Geelong was yesterday dumped from the VFL top eight after a 48-point capitulation against Bendigo at Queen Elizabeth Oval.

For the fourth week in a row, haphazard skills and decision-making conspired against the Cats, who surrendered six of the last eight goals of the match to lose 10.9 (69) to 16.21 (117).

Rookie-listed defender Liam Bedford emerged from the shadows of the Cats' fourth successive loss with his dignity firmly intact after producing his best performance for the season.

Bedford, pick 23 in the 2006 rookie draft, was the Cats' best player yesterday because, as coach Leigh Tudor succinctly put it, was one of only a handful of players who beat their direct opponent.

"He's done well (over the last two weeks), to be honest, he's beaten his direct opponent the last two weeks," Tudor said.

"That's why he's got in the best and, to be honest, that's all you needed to do this week and you would have got yourself in the best players."

Although impressed by Bedford, Tudor was not going to sugarcoat an otherwise substandard performance from his team.

From a team perspective, it was one of the Cats' most disappointing games since they were clinically torn apart by Coburg in round one.

Tudor did, however, list Shane Mumford, Ryan Gamble, Simon Hogan, Kane Tenace and Tom Hawkins as players who were committed to playing "the Geelong way".

When in the ruck, Mumford looked like a man against a boy, while Tenace, who had 17 possessions to half time, was at his gut-busting best.

Hawkins, with three goals, led strongly up the ground and took several contested marks, while Hogan and Gamble delivered to the consistency that is now expected of them.

But Tudor said the most disappointing aspect of the match was his side's dismal last-quarter performance.

Three goals down at three-quarter time after a spirited third quarter, the Cats surrendered six of the final eight goals without any meaningful resistance.

"(It was a) disappointing end to the game, again it was our ball use, we had chances to move the ball forward and we just missed targets by hand or by foot," Tudor said.

"(Bendigo) just got us on the way back after we messed up the handball or kick, they just ran away and we weren't quick enough to find our direct opponent on the transition.

"That's what hurt is in the end, the transition, they were running forward and we didn't follow them."

The Cats face the Northern Bullants at Skilled Stadium next Sunday.