STEVE Johnson claimed a victory over his former club at the first attempt as Greater Western Sydney stunned Geelong by 13 points in Canberra.
Off-season signing Johnson booted two goals and laid a few hard hits on ex-teammates in the hearty 13.11 (89) to 11.10 (76) victory at a sold-out Manuka Oval on Sunday.
It was the Giants' first win of the season and their first in five clashes against Geelong.
The Giants almost let slip a 37-point third-term lead but some solid defensive work and a late goal to Ryan Griffen sealed one of the biggest wins in the expansion club's brief history.
GWS hardly saw the ball early but managed to take a two-point lead into the first break.
After kicking the first goal in the first minute, Geelong failed to add another in a term of wasted opportunities.
It came back to hurt them in the second quarter as GWS dominated the stoppages and booted six goals to four.
A major to ruckman Shane Mumford on the siren gave them a 15-point advantage at half-time.
They enjoyed a near perfect third term, but let slip a couple of late goals.
The Cats rode that momentum into the final quarter with five unanswered majors, two of them to forward Tom Hawkins, but it was too little too late, although one of the Cats' spearhead's goals was an extraordinary 55m off-the-ground drop kick that miraculously bounced through.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said post-match he would allow no excuses for his side.
"We don't make excuses, so I'd appreciate if you don't make excuses for our players as well," he told reporters.
"The numbers are pretty clear in the way the game was played – we got beaten around the clearances, we got beaten in the contested ball badly."
His GWS counterpart Leon Cameron was full of praise for both Mumford and Johnson.
"He was obviously very good. We know he's a physical presence for us, and bit by bit he's getting fitter and fitter," Cameron said of Mumford post-match.
"I said to him during the week that I reckon by round three or round four, he's going to be absolutely cherry ripe."
He lauded Johnson's competitive instincts.
"Look, he's a competitor ... he loves to compete," Cameron said.
"There'll be some frustrating times, but there'll be some really good moments that you guys are not going to see.
"They're the moments that he's educating Rory Lobb and Jon Patton, so it was a really pleasing game."
Johnson, who finished with 23 disposals, made sure he made the highlights reel with a crunching tackle on Cory Gregson early in the game, as did Mumford with a shirtfront that floored Mitch Duncan and forced him off in the third quarter.
A mark of the year contender and goal to Will Hoskin-Elliott moments later capped off a thrilling few minutes of footy.
Jonathon Patton had an indifferent first senior game of 2016 for GWS, missing a few simple shots at goal, including one from almost in the goal square during the seesawing last term.
The Cats' star recruit Patrick Dangerfield was limited to just 22 disposals, a far cry from his 43 in last week's win over Hawthorn.
MEDICAL ROOM
After a promising first half, Giants defender Caleb Marchbank rolled his ankle and looks set for a stint on the sidelines, while the Cats will be hoping Mitch Duncan (head knock) and Jordan Murdoch (cork) will be right to face the Lions after coming off second best in contests with GWS big man Shane Mumford.
NEXT UP
The Giants have to regroup after a thriller for a Sydney derby against the Swans at the SCG next Saturday, while the Cats play their first home game of the season at Skilled stadium against the Brisbane Lions on Sunday to close out the round.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 2.1 8.4 12.8 13.11 (89)
GEELONG 1.5 5.7 8.8 11.10 (76)
GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Griffen 2, Smith 2, Johnson 2,Wilson, Coniglio, Shiel, Scully, Mumford, Hoskin-Elliott, Lobb
Geelong: Hawkins 3, Blicavs 2, Stanley 2, Lang, McCarthy, Caddy, Gregson
BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Griffen, Scully, Munford, Johnson, Kelly, Greene
Geelong: Hawkins, Blicavs, Mackie, Enright, Guthrie, Lang
INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Marchbank (ankle)
Geelong: TBC
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Fleer, Mitchell
Official crowd: 13,656 at Manuka Oval
