UNABLE to watch, Geelong coach Chris Scott removed himself from the coaches box and headed to the bathroom as Demon Max Gawn kicked at goal for the match.  

In a frantic final 90 seconds, Cats Jordan Murdoch and Zach Tuohy both kicked out-of-bounds on the full before the game was left to Gawn, missing left with a close set shot to deliver Geelong a three-point victory.

"I spent 45 of those seconds in the toilet. After Gawn marked it, that's what I do, I just find it hard to watch," Scott said post-match.

"I could see it from the screen. I was in the bathroom but I could see the TV."

"I think it was a reflection of how difficult the game had been and how fatigued the players were.

"It was a lack of composure but it was due to fatigue rather than skill or will. There's a few things we would've liked to have done differently to make it harder for them."

Daniel Menzel extended Geelong's lead to 12 points five minutes into the final term before Melbourne came with a flurry.  

James Harmes and Jeff Garlett kicked behinds before a Jesse Hogan snap brought Melbourne to within five points.

Menzel marked one-on-one against Demon Josh Wagner, 15 metres out from goal with 17 minutes on the clock before missing and blowing a chance to ice the match.  

A tougher chance followed two minutes later as Menzel missed again and took the Cats lead to seven points – the forward forced to watch on as Melbourne charged home.

"I put my head in my hands and thought 'I've cost us this one'," Menzel said as he watched Gawn kick for the game.

"I even did say to Scotty after the game, 'Sorry for nearly costing us the game'.

"It probably showed in the last quarter, I was so fatigued and (my) ball drop was no good. 

"Fatigue was a real big factor I think at the end of the game. It's no excuse for me because it was a terrible miss but it did show in the last five minutes the fatigue really kicked in."

Scott said he refused to take Menzel's apology.

"When the ball was floating forward the call in the box was, how could anyone mark that, and he marked it," Scott said.

"And then the ball came in again and you know what competitors do, they make sure mark the next one.

"I said in those situations he never needs to apologise to me or anyone.

"He put himself in the game, he was in the arena. And I said this to him, 'If we lost the game, we wouldn't be looking at him'."

Menzel finished with four goals to be Geelong's strongest attacking force, with power forward Tom Hawkins held to 14 disposals and one behind.  

Debutant big man Esava Ratugolea impressed plenty in the first 10 minutes of the match, kicking his first goal, before fatigued kicked in.

Scott said he was proud of the way Ratugolea worked his way into the game late, while fellow first-gamer Lachie Fogarty was "tenacious" and Tim Kelly "just looks like an AFL player already."