A CELEBRATION of 150 years of football turned into a lopsided mismatch when ladder-leader Geelong crushed Melbourne by 116 points at the MCG last night.
Melbourne was held scoreless in the opening term as Geelong players flexed their muscles and stamped their authority across the ground.
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey said the Demons had been taught a football lesson at a "ruthless and unforgiving level".
"It was a level we couldn't even match from the first minute to the last minute," he said. "They (Geelong) used the ball well and they moved the ball quickly.
"They were intent and the first quarter was all about them and it was almost boys playing against men — bigger bodies around the ball, better decisions, kicking easy goals in conditions that were slippery.
"It was incredibly disappointing on a very important night for the Melbourne Football Club … they really made us look second rate."
The Demons' first score was a rushed behind nine minutes into the second term. The first scoring shot was a behind kicked by Brad Green 18 minutes into the quarter.
Melbourne's long-awaited first goal came six minutes later through Austin Wonaeamirri, but his side went to the half-time break in disarray and trailing by 70 points.
The AFL's two oldest clubs sit at opposite ends of the spectrum: Geelong clearly in back-to-back premiership-winning form, and the Demons with even more to learn than its ladder position suggests.
In the 101st meeting between Melbourne and Geelong at the MCG, it took just four minutes for the Cats to register their first goal, through Joel Selwood, which triggered an avalanche of scoring shots.
Geelong piled on 8.5 for the quarter and not only did it keep Melbourne scoreless, but the Demons were barely able to win the ball inside their attacking 50-metre zone.
Geelong dominated the opening term in wet, slippery conditions and went inside its attacking arc 23 times to Melbourne's nine.
By the final siren the Cats had been inside their attacking 50-metre zone 69 times to 43.
At times in the opening term the Cats made it look like a training drill as they shared the ball around and linked up through the middle of the ground.
Wonaeamirri chased down Cats' ruckman Brad Ottens on the members' wing, but there was little else for Demons fans to celebrate as the margin quickly blew out.
Cameron Ling goaled on the run and Tom Lonergan kicked the first of his four goals to quickly stretch the margin out to 30 points.
As heavy rain fell and the pressure mounted the young Demons looked rattled; Cale Morton kicked into the man on the mark during a desperate bid to push forward.
Gary Ablett, back for his first game since round 15, started forward but was soon in the thick of the action in the middle. He finished with 22 touches and two goals.
The Cats star danced around two opponents deep in the forward pocket early in the game as he quickly rediscovered his rhythm and had 11 touches by half-time.
Andrew Mackie waltzed out of defence twice in the first term to kick two goals and had 10 disposals for the quarter as teammates lined up for opportunities in front of goal.
Jeff White was a late inclusion for Melbourne, replacing ruckman Mark Jamar, but the Demons veteran was no match for Ottens, who dominated the ruck and finished with 12 disposals.
Midway through the second term Shane Valenti had a long set shot at goal that Ottens marked uncontested on the goal line and the Cats again went deep into attack.
When pacy Mathew Stokes kicked the first of his four goals, the lead jumped out to 71 points, before Wonaeamirri finally kicked the Demons' first major score.
Melbourne's lowest score against Geelong, 10 points in 1897, was finally surpassed in the third term with Valenti's second goal.
Paul Johnson then kicked a freakish goal in the final term, but it was one of very few highlights for Melbourne fans.
Stokes kicked three final-term goals and Steve Johnson woke from a quiet night to kick his only goal of the match. The All-Australian forward finished with 15 disposals but was largely held by Cameron Bruce.
Brent Prismall kicked three goals and, in his eighth game for the year, showed the wealth of talent the Cats had to choose from heading towards the finals.
Last year's Rising Star winner, Selwood, was among the Cats' dominant players, while Corey Enright and Mackie also shone brightly on a dismal night for the Demons.
GEELONG 8.5 12.7 19.10 24.13 (157)
MELBOURNE 0.0 1.3 2.6 5.11 (41)
GOALS Geelong: Lonergan 4, Stokes 4, Prismall 3, Mackie 2, Ablett 2, Ling 2, Bartel 2, Selwood, Blake, Gamble, Mooney, S Johnson. Melbourne: Valenti 2, Wonaeamirri, P Johnson, C Johnson.
BEST Geelong: Mackie, Selwood, Prismall, Lonergan, Scarlett, Harley, Ling, Corey. Melbourne: Bruce, Whelan, Frawley, Dunn, Maric.
THE VOTESAndrew Mackie (Geel)
Joel Selwood (Geel)
Brent Prismall (Geel)
Tom Lonergan (Geel)
Matthew Scarlett (Geel)
UMPIRES Donlon, Kennedy, Ryan.
CROWD 34,610 at MCG.
THE UPSHOT That it doesn't matter which team Geelong is up against, the Cats do not lose focus from start to finish and are intent on inflicting as much physical and psychological torture as humanly possible. And that Melbourne still looks clear favourite to win the wooden spoon and No. 1 draft pick.
TALKING POINT Until 24 minutes into the second quarter, it was whether Melbourne would actually score. Otherwise, it was the speed, skill and strength of Geelong, and the pure class of Joel Selwood, who personifies all of the above and is becoming one of the competition's best midfielders in just his second year.
HOT AND COLD Andrew Mackie played forward, back and somewhere in the middle and had 22 possessions by half-time, demanding the attention of Melbourne tagger Lynden Dunn. Melbourne badly needed Matthew Bate and Nathan Jones to hang tough around the middle, but unfortunately neither got near it when it mattered.
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