Geelong’s VFL side have quietly put the naysayers to rest with a landslide victory over the St Kilda-affiliated Sandringham at Trevor Barker Oval on Sunday, defeating the Zebras 6.9 (45) to 27.12 (174)

Though the initial stages of the match were plagued by rolling mists that drastically decreased visibility for long periods, the Cat’s communication and clearly superior skills shamed the 9th placed Zebras.

The unrelenting Cats kept Sandringham goalless until the 17 minute mark of the second term, maintaining the ruthless tackling pressure that had been lacking in previous performances.

Coach Matthew Knights was thrilled with the win, highlighting the key indicators that evidenced a step forward for the developing team.

‘We were very proud of the players today, particularly because we started so well and it would have been easy at half time to say that we’d achieved a good half and not finish the game off, but I thought they finished the game off wonderfully well in that last quarter.

‘One of our real challenges with this group this year is when we’ve gotten in good positions we’ve lost focus and let the other team back in, so today a real focus for us when we had Sandringham on the ropes was to try and play really top football. Not only score ourselves but prevent them from scoring.

‘As much as I was pleased with the 27 goals, I was just as wrapped keeping Sandringham to 6.’

Captain Dom Gleeson and Vice-Captain Jack Hollmer played a crucial role in bolstering communication, encouragement and focus on the field, but it was the young players who provided much of the electricity that kept the momentum and control firmly within the Cat’s grasp.

Developing defensive player Jake Kolodjashnij accumulated a modest 14 disposals and 4 marks, but impressed again with his team oriented attitude and consistency.

‘Kolodjashnij is a really trustworthy player. He’s going to spoil when he needs to spoil, he’s going to use his teammates around him. He’s a very predictable player to his teammates. He’s just a really good young man to have at the club.

Fleet-footed Darcy Lang excelled in his new role in the midfield after several weeks in the forward line, demonstrating finesse and intelligence in each of his 24 disposals, 6 marks and 12 clearances.

‘It was great to see Darcy play in such a manner today. Not only did he win the ball in hard contests but he was very composed when he did win it, which was very impressive.’

After sustaining a back injury early in the season, small forward Lincoln McCarthy has been slowly chipping away at milestones in his recovery, culminating in a season-defining performance today in which he was named among the Cat’s best, amassing 23 disposals, 10 marks, 5 clearances and a team-high 5 goals.

‘Lincoln played really good footy today. I suppose he is just getting going after having a long layoff this year and is just finding his legs again. I thought some of his sharpness around the contest and his speed today really caused Sandy a problem, so I was really pleased for Linc because it’s been a long road back for him.’ Knights said.

McCarthy was humble in his review of his performance after the match, preferring to emphasise the role of the team rather than his individual involvement.

‘I felt like as a group we worked really well together today. We kept the ball in our forward line a lot better and gave everyone opportunities; and when the opportunities arose, we all made use of them. So it was good to get off to a good start and then maintain the four quarter effort.

‘I felt like I was running in better areas than I used to. I used to get so worked up about running good patterns that I would overwork which would do my head in a bit, so today I felt like I timed it a lot better and opportunities were able to come from that. Overall I felt fitter, but it was a good performance by the boys today.’

Jed Bews was once again named best on ground in yet another scintillating performance, accumulating 28 disposals, 8 marks and providing the midfield assistance that was integral to the strength of the overall team performance.

As the Cats now move into 8th position on the VFL ladder with a bye next week, there is one question that remains in the minds of Cats players and fans alike: is a finals finish still within reach?

‘Finals is definitely still within our grasp. It’s a really positive thing to still have that attraction, that drive to play finals footy and that’s what we’ve done the last two seasons in making the last two grand finals.’ Knights said.

‘For us it’s really important that we do play finals footy and it’s a real hunger for us to try and achieve that. It means that every week is high stakes which is really good for our young group to understand that every performance needs to be a good one.

‘It’s going to be pretty critical over the next month.’

VFL - Bendigo Bank 27-12-(174) def. Sandringham Zebras 6-9-(45).

Goals: McCarthy, Schroder 4, Luxford, Gleeson 3, Brown, Jansen, Sheringham, Thurlow, Toohey 2, Bews, Bourke, Hollmer.
Best: Bews, McCarthy, Schroder, Brown, Lang, Hamling, Gleeson, Thurlow.
Injuries: Nil, Reports: Nil @ Trevor Barker Beach Oval, Sandringham.