Rayner’s flop-and-frees – the second gimme goal defensible given Zach Guthrie’s silly bump in Rayner’s back – provided a point of interest for the 86,364 fans in attendance, the Geelong portion of whom booed the forward whenever he went near the footy.
Max Holmes and Ollie Dempsey were probably the most influential players afield, followed by Stewart, who is back to something approaching his peak.
The capacity of the Cats to harm the opposition via the running pair of Holmes and Bailey Smith has been a theme of 2025, and in the third quarter, Holmes exploded with 10 disposals, a long-running goal from beyond the 50-metre arc, and another he gift-wrapped for Martin from close to 60 metres away.
Dempsey booted three goals, his best a half-volley on the goal line that had a soccer striker’s touch.
For the Lions, the worst came late in the game when Lachie Neale suffered a suspected calf strain/tear. It’s hard to see Neale playing any further finals this year, even if the Lions can overcome Freo/Gold Coast and then Collingwood in the prelim.
It would be overstating matters to say that Geelong beat up Brisbane. But the Cats did play with more intensity and force around the ball. Their pressure – evident in the tackle count (80 to 64) – bespoke a team that had either more energy or aggression.
“The boys around the ball were phenomenal,” said Stewart, who also drilled a long goal from outside 50 metres.
“Their [Brisbane’s] hands and their exit from stoppage is as good as there is in the comp. So it’s one thing to plan for it, but the way the boys pressured and got after them was absolutely phenomenal.”
Lachie Neale’s season will be almost certainly over if his calf injury is a significant one.Credit: AFL Photos
So, the Cats have another fortnight’s rest before their preliminary final. Consider that they’ve played 15 prelims since Essendon’s last penultimate finals appearance (2001).
“It helps – especially if you’re as old as I am. It’s always nice having an extra couple of days, even just a mental refresh,” said Stewart of the double-break.
Geelong’s relatively soft run into September – the sheer lack of top eight opponents – has been a topic and prompted a discussion of whether tis better to have the hard road, against the finalists, as the Lions had, or not.
Stewart felt this was for others to discuss. ″You can only play what’s in front of you. It’s as honest as we can be. It wasn’t even about who we were playing necessarily. Scotty’s amazing at sort of setting it up so you try to get your game in the best order that you possibly can.″
Judged on how they dispatched the patchy Lions, the Cats are fast approaching that best possible order.
