Cats slaughter Kangas
 Geelong has flexed its considerable muscle in one of the most devastating finals performances in years, thrashing the hapless Kangaroos 23.18.156 to 8.2.50 in their qualifying final at the MCG.
The afternoon started with a scuffle in the pre-game warm up. It would turn out to be the most fierce contest of the day. The Kangaroos started well enough in front of over 77,000, with the sides splitting the first six goals. What followed was a systematic thrashing, as Cameron Mooney, Gary Ablett and Paul Chapman ran riot.
Five straight behinds had Geelong 5 points clear at quarter time. The kicking was straight in the second term, the half time margin 45. By the final change the gap was 85. The middle period of the match saw the Cats land a staggering 15 goals to 2.
Mooney and Chapman finished with five goals each, while Ablett was afforded the luxury of being rested in the final moments, having already picked up 32 possessions. Jimmy Bartel not far behind with 29 touches.
Josh Hunt and Matthew Stokes were dynamic in the air, while Joel Selwood and Darren Milburn were ferocious in defence, as the Kangaroos simply had no answer.
The final indignity was complete when Chapman slammed his fifth, taking the margin into triple figures. Adam Simpson was the only shining light for the losers. The Roos skipper picked up 27 possessions, ten more than the next best Roos.
“We just had to match them in the contested ball,� said Bartel on Channel Seven.
“We were just able to win a few close ones.�
The Kangaroos will play Hawthorn here in an elimination final on Saturday night, while Geelong will play the winner of West Coast and Collingwood in a fortnight.
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