Well, Friday night in Adelaide certainly didn't go to plan.

The Crows made the early running, then held firm after Harry Taylor's heroics up forward thrust the Cats back into the contest.

Jed Bews was among the other Geelong players who made an impact, with Bews' effort in keeping Eddie Betts' goalless gaining him plenty of kudos.

But as Chris Scott pointed out after the 21-point defeat, Adelaide dominated around the stoppages, which allowed the Crows' classy band of midfielders to control proceedings.

The first thought of many pundits after game was that the defeat had dealt a big blow to Geelong's hopes of finishing in the top two.

Yet the topsy-turvy nature of the season benefited the Cats over the rest of the weekend.

Greater Western Sydney's loss to Richmond means Geelong remains in second place on the ladder, two points ahead of the Giants and Tigers, who sit third and fourth.

The Cats are six points clear of fifth-placed Port Adelaide, which was beaten by Melbourne on Saturday.

So Friday night's result wasn't ideal, but Geelong remains very much in the box seat to finish in the top two and gain a home qualifying final, with the match a chance to be played at Simonds Stadium if the Giants are the opponent.

The closing five-game stretch begins on Saturday night when the Cats tackle Carlton at Etihad Stadium.

After that comes assignments against two fellow top-four contenders, the Sydney Swans and Richmond, with both games to be played in Geelong.

Now we'd love you to give us your thoughts on the Cats' run home.

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