The Cats needed 16 more scoring shots to run out 26 point winners, 13.20 (98) to 11.6 (72), and left the door ajar for far longer than it should have been.
But no-one could criticise their mixture of hard inside football and exciting outside run, and they eventually fought off a Crows side which again refused to go away.
Cameron Guthrie and Zac Smith led an inspired Geelong midfield which cut holes in the Crows for much of the night, even without a dominant performance from man-of-the-moment Dangerfield, who still amassed 33 disposals and 11 tackles.
Smith gave the Cats the advantage in the air while Guthrie’s ability to release teammates with his grunt was a highlight.
It meant the brilliant Steven Motlop (four goals) and his fellow forwards were on the end of plenty of fast entries. They always looked dangerous, albeit often wasteful.
The Cats led by just 12 points despite having 12 more scoring shots to half-time and, within two minutes of the resumption, the Crows had levelled the scores through Rory Atkins and Eddie Betts.
At that point Cats coach Chris Scott could have been forgiven for pulling his hair out with frustration, but his irrepressible side wasn’t about to be denied.
Geelong again surged with three unanswered goals, but the Crows came again.
Adelaide finally gained some momentum in general play during the third term and into the final quarter, and suddenly looked capable of pinching victory. Rory Sloane inspired them around the stoppages and Adelaide rode the atmosphere created by a huge home crowd of 53,141.
Ironically, it was an Adelaide miss which would turn momentum back the Cats way.
Paul Seedsman had a kick from 15m out directly in front to give the Crows the lead for the first time, nine minutes into the final term, but his kick slid to the left of the post.
The Cats went straight down the other end and Corey Enright kicked a brilliant 50m running goal.
Motlop then produced some trademark brilliance to kick his fourth, as the Cats kicked clear.
With so much pre-match focus on Dangerfield, the opening moments of the clash were almost anti-climatic.
The Crows midfielders barely made eye contact with their former teammate, and it was Dangerfield’s cohorts who did the early damage.
To put Geelong’s early dominance into perspective, it took the Crows until almost nine minutes into the term to have a possession in their half of the ground. To that point, the Cats had 32 disposals forward of centre.
The Cats inability to take advantage of their earlier dominance was compounded by the loss of key defender Tom Lonergan, who failed a concussion test after a head clash in an opening quarter.
The trend continued in the second term, as Geelong continued to kick points.
But their ability to break from stoppages caused the Crows problems, and Shane Kersten and Motlop both kicked goals on the break late in the second term.
The Cats back six was superb, with Harry Taylor outpointing Taylor Walker and Andrew Mackie getting the better of the dangerous Tom Lynch.
Ball use coming off half-back was an issue for Adelaide, which will be hoping Rory Laird shakes off a toe injury sooner rather than later.
Don Pyke’s men again looked dangerous when the ball went forward but, as was the case last week, they didn’t create enough chances.
MEDICAL ROOM
Cats defender Tom Lonergan failed a concussion test after an opening quarter head clash and took no further part in the game. He will need to pass an additional test during the week if he is to face Collingwood next Saturday.
NEXT UP
The Cats have a chance to further entrench themselves in the top four when they play struggling Collingwood at the MCG. Adelaide’s nightmare early draw is over and they head to Metricon Stadium for a very winnable clash with the Cats.
GEELONG 3.8 5.13 9.17 13.20 (98)
ADELAIDE 2.1 5.1 11.3 11.6 (72)
GOALS
Geelong: Motlop 4, Kersten 3, Caddy, Duncan, Enright, Lang, Menzel, Stanley
Adelaide: Betts 2, Jenkins 2, McGovern 2, Walker 2, Atkins, Cameron, Sloane
BEST
Geelong: Guthrie, Motlop, Dangerfield, Bartel, Selwood, L. Henderson.
Adelaide: Sloane, Cameron, Lynch, R. Henderson
INJURIES
Geelong: Tom Lonergan (concussion)
Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Kamolins, Meredith
Official crowd: 53,141 at Adelaide Oval
