GEELONG has held off a fast-finishing North Melbourne to win the first Friday night premiership match played at Simonds Stadium by 20 points.
Chris Scott's men led by 41 points at the four-minute mark of the last quarter, then saw the margin reduced to 16 by the 20-minute mark before steadying to win 16.15 (111) to 13.13 (91).
The victory was Geelong's 52nd in its last 55 matches at Simonds Stadium, and improves its record to 7-2 this season.
The Kangaroos were left to rue a number of missed shots in the final term, with Robin Nahas, Nick Dal Santo and Lindsay Thomas wasting chances in the dying stages.
The Cats, who were without suspended star Steve Johnson and came into the match off a bruising loss to Fremantle in Perth last Saturday, set up their victory with a blistering start.
They raced to a 38-point lead early in the second quarter and never really looked like being beaten from there.
The home side's heroes were some of its biggest names, with triple premiership players Jimmy Bartel (32 disposals and two goals) and James Kelly (33 touches) dominant in the middle of the ground.
However, Bartel, who was clearly best on ground, finished the game with a nasty shiner after a head clash with Luke McDonald in a marking contest during the third quarter.
Tom Hawkins did the bulk of the damage for Geelong on the scoreboard, using his strength and skill to outclass All Australian defender Scott Thompson and boot four goals from seven shots.
Midfield dasher Steven Motlop also lit up the contest, producing his best performance of the season, which featured a brilliant running goal from 50 metres out near the boundary late in the third term.
Making the Cats' effort particularly meritorious was the fact they were a man down for the last three quarters after key defender Tom Lonergan was subbed out with concussion.
Mobile big man Mark Blicavs, who was subbed into the game in place of Lonergan, did a serviceable job in the backline, then snuck forward and kicked the sealing goal.
North Melbourne, which was missing key defender Nathan Grima (foot) and midfielder Daniel Wells (foot), had few winners on a disappointing night where the final margin was, to some degree, flattering.
North dropped to 5-4 with the loss, and has now alternated wins and losses in its past five games.
Lindsay Thomas and Drew Petrie were able to hold their heads high after kicking three goals each, while Levi Greenwood battled hard in the middle.
The Roos also lost a key defender during the contest, with Joel Tippett subbed out after suffering his right pectoral muscle strain late in the second quarter.
The victory was Geelong's ninth in its past 12 matches against North Melbourne, but the Cats have a tough job ahead of them next week with only a six-day break before confronting the Sydney Swans on Thursday night at the SCG.
The Roos, who went into the season with high hopes of making the top four, play West Coast in Perth next weekend.
GEELONG 5.5 10.9 13.14 16.15 (111)
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.2 5.4 9.8 13.13 (91)
GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 4, Duncan 2, Murdoch 2, Bartel 2, Enright, Selwood, Horlin-Smith, Stringer, Motlop, Blicavs
North Melbourne: Thomas 3, Petrie 3, Bastinac 2, Nahas 2, Ziebell, Black, Daw
BEST
Geelong: Bartel, Hawkins, Kelly, Rivers, Guthrie, Selwood, Stokes
North Melbourne: Greenwood, Thomas, Ziebell, Nahas, Harvey
INJURIES
Geelong: Tom Lonergan (concussion)
North Melbourne: Joel Tippett (right pectoral muscle)
SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Mark Blicavs replaced Tom Lonergan at quarter-time
North Melbourne: Ryan Bastinac replaced Joel Tippett in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Matt Stevic, Jason Armstrong
Official crowd: 27,402 at Simonds Stadium
