THE Western Bulldogs face a massive task if they are to pick up the pieces and combat the inner demons after yesterday's 61-point lesson from an awesome Geelong.

There are two clearly defined issues for Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade — one at both ends of the ground. But he's properly resourced to handle only one of them.

Tom Williams is a must at centre half-back. The Cats' forward line manipulated the Dogs' defence almost at will yesterday and Eade needs Williams, young and inexperienced as he is, to shore up the back half.

Brian Lake had a day to forget playing on an inspired Cam Mooney, who sparked his side in the first quarter and confirmed the Cats' dominance when he really took charge in the third.

The Cats clearly wanted Lake, most comfortable in the last line of defence, playing across half-back. They took him there at every opportunity, regardless of who was on him.

It was a fantastic experience for Andrejs Everitt to play in such a big game, but he was never going to be able to do the job on Mooney. And Dale Morris more than had his hands full with the mercurial Steve Johnson.

Williams, due back from injury next week, will at least be able to play centre half-back and allow Lake to stay in his more familiar role at full-back.

There isn't such an easy solution at the other end.

The Dogs' forward line struggled yesterday. Mitch Hahn, Scott Welsh, Brad Johnson, Jason Akermanis, Will Minson and Robert Murphy had little impact against a magnificent Geelong defence.

Akermanis, such a dangerous player in recent weeks, has always struggled to produce the same potency against Geelong. That was the case when he was playing with Brisbane and it's the same at the Dogs. He won't be happy.

But that's only part of the problem. And as much as Eade threw his forward line around, what he really lacked was a big man to take a strong pack mark.

The reality is the Dogs don't have one, so they'll have to persist with a forward set-up built around mid-sized and smaller players. Whether that will stand up to the pressure of September remains to be seen.

The Dogs were all right when they were able to run and carry the ball through the midfield, and kick it over the half-forward line. But when that option dried up, as the Cats' pressure took its toll, their scoring dried up, too.

It was one magnificent performance from the defending premiers and I suspect the engraver might have the "Gee" done on the premiership cup. The job's not done, but he could justifiably have started.

I get the feeling that Geelong had been steeling themselves for this one for a few weeks.

It was like the Cats took offence at someone daring to invade their space and they wanted to make a statement to the competition that they are not about to surrender their throne. What a statement!

The challenge for opposition sides is to match it with the Cats for 120 minutes. And I'm yet to see anyone who can do it.

The Dogs were fantastic to half-time, when scores were level in an enthralling contest. Their tackling, chasing and harassing was magnificent and there's no doubt they had the home side under pressure. But they couldn't sustain it for four quarters. Not even close.

The Cats' possession rate is staggering. They had 463 disposals yesterday to the Dogs' 336.

You can only chase for so long before it takes its toll, and that's what the Cats do. They grind opposition teams into the ground. Ruthlessly.

Let's not forget, it was only the Dogs' second loss of the season and it's not the end of the road. But for them to be blown away so effortlessly in the second half — 13.6 to 3.5 after half-time and 8.5 to 1.1 in the final term — will leave some mental scars.

And if the two sides are to meet again in September, they'll have some inner doubts because they would have put a mountain of preparation into yesterday's game and gone in thinking they were a genuine chance.

For Geelong, the big win was confirmation of its great self-confidence. The players have enormous belief in each other, and the fact that if they execute to anything like their best, it is going to take something extra special to knock them off.

With Gary Ablett, Cameron Ling and late withdrawal David Wojcinski to come back in, there will be some massive selection headaches for Mark Thompson.

It's an extraordinary situation that Ryan Gamble can come into the side at the last minute, kick four goals, and not be guaranteed a game next week — just the sort of problem Thompson wants so he can to keep maximum pressure on his troops.

The Cats did it without blinking yesterday. And it's not so much the individual brilliance I find awe-inspiring, but the cohesion. They work so incredibly well together that it's going to be hugely difficult for anyone to bring them undone.

Geelong wouldn't have been off the ground for 60 seconds yesterday before its attention turned to Hawthorn this week and the next would-be challenger.

That will present a different proposition because the Hawks are much better equipped up forward to test the Geelong defence. But the Cats will be ready. Just like yesterday.