Geelong’s forward line was firing on all cylinders against West Coast, looking to hit top form at the right time of year as the Cats prepare for Week One of the AFL Finals series.
Led by a nine goal haul from Jeremy Cameron, Geelong piled on 18 majors in the opening half against the Eagles before cruising to their highest total score of the season.
Tyson Stengle put together another influential performance on Saturday booting two goals, the 14th time this season the small forward has kicked multiple goals in a game.
Stengle touched on some of the impressive displays down forward when he spoke to Cats Media following Saturday’s win.
“Jeremy played a massive game for us today, it is good playing with him,” Stengle said.
“Then we have Ollie Henry and Shannon Neale as well. It is great to have all those big forwards up there, bringing the ball to ground for us small forwards and they played well today.
“It is great, obviously we missed out on finals last year but it is good to be back and we are looking forward to the Finals series coming up.”
The important win over West Coast helped the Cats secure their place in the top four for the 14th time in 18 seasons, setting up a date with Port Adelaide in the second Qualifying Final.
Geelong also took the opportunity to celebrate two club champions on Saturday, with Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy announcing that they will retire at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Stengle noted the impact both players have had on his career since joining the Cats at the end of 2021.
“Tom when I first got here, he played a massive role,” Stengle said.
“I was still new to the club, but he was one of the senior players up forward who helped me out when I got here.
“Zach is a leader of this footy club, he has been here for a while and it was great to see them celebrated really nicely after the game.”
The Cats will enjoy a week off to freshen up, before they prepare to head to Adelaide Oval to do battle with Port Adelaide next Thursday to kick off the AFL Finals series.
