THE most keenly anticipated game of the season so far ended with Geelong reaffirming its flag favouritism and the Western Bulldogs wondering how it all went so horribly wrong.

The Cats turned a 14-point lead at the last break into a stunning 10-goal victory at Skilled Stadium in a result that even left coach Mark Thompson reaching for superlatives.

"Our last quarter was extraordinary," he said after the match, which turned into a cakewalk despite the absence of All-Australians Gary Ablett and Cameron Ling.

Geelong piled on eight final-term goals — 13 in the second half — while the Bulldogs' only goal of the final quarter came just seconds before the final siren.

In front of 24,800, the Cats collected a staggering 463 possessions — 127 more than the Dogs — shutting down the opposition's key playmakers in the process.

Brownlow medallist Jason Akermanis had three touches in the second half for the Dogs and was rendered little more than a spectator for most of the day by Corey Enright.

Cat defender Darren Milburn set the scene in the first term, collecting 19 disposals. His direct opponent, Will Minson, had one handball for the quarter and finished the day with two more and one kick.

Minson at least got his hands on the ball, relieving Ben Hudson in the ruck, only to then watch the Cats' midfield brigade pounce and pump the Sherrin forward.

What began as a tight, enthralling contest in the first term unravelled for the visitors as Geelong's defence, led by Matthew Scarlett, and midfield gained the ascendancy.

Cameron Mooney opened with a goal for Geelong after Steve Johnson cleverly soccered the ball to the top of the goal square.

The Bulldogs replied with their first goal midway through the opening term after Paul Chapman, in his 150th game, gave away a 50-metre penalty. Ryan Hargrave took the kick, drilling the ball long to the goal square where Johnson waited below a pack, goaled and the Dogs hit the front by a point.

Daniel Giansiracusa kicked the first of his three goals late in the term to give the Bulldogs a six-point lead, before Brad Ottens levelled the scores from close range.

The Bulldogs forced Geelong into several errors in the first term and maintained the pressure in the second quarter, which resulted in two quick goals to Scott Welsh and Mitch Hahn, who sharked a loose ball inside the Cats' defensive arc.

Ryan Gamble, a late inclusion for David Wojcinski, cut the margin back to five points with the first of his four goals.

Kicking with the breeze in the second quarter, the Cats began using the ball more cleanly, but struggled to gain any significant scoreboard advantage.

Midfielders Adam Cooney and Matthew Boyd earned valuable contested possessions for the Bulldogs early on, but had little impact when the momentum swung Geelong's way and Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood and Joel Corey raised the bar.

The Cats were guilty of over-using the ball in the first half and struggled to find options in traffic, which they've done to tremendous effect this year.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs' willingness to run and rely on their exquisite kicking skills forced Geelong into uncharacteristic errors.

As the game began to open up in the second half Mooney's influence grew and the big forward finished with eight marks, 18 disposals and three-goals, having struggled to impose himself on games in recent weeks.

Chapman, who gave away another two 50-metre penalties in the second term, held his tongue as the game wore on and finished with 24 touches, including eight contested possessions and a goal.

With the Bulldogs refusing to back down quietly, Thompson said he asked his players for a big effort at the final break.

The Cats skipped out to a 40-point lead midway through the quarter and dominated the inside 50s 21 to eight for the term.

Steve Johnson's one-handed mark with Hargrave dangling from his hips typified the Cats' class in the closing stages and the 2007 Norm Smith medallist sealed the deal with his third goal.

When Mooney goaled on the run from tight on the boundary, Geelong fans began licking their lips ahead of next week's clash with Hawthorn. Thompson summed up the mood in the rooms. "There's no one out the back doing handstands, we're … focused on our next game."

GEELONG 3.3 6.11 11.12 19.17 (131)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.3 7.5 9.9 10.10 (70)
GOALS Geelong: Gamble 4, Johnson 3, Mooney 3, Bartel 2, Stokes 2, Mackie, Ottens, Taylor, Lonergan, Chapman. Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa 3, Eagleton 2, Ray, Johnson, Hahn, Welsh, Lake.
BEST Geelong: Bartel, Mooney, Milburn, Scarlett, Corey, Gamble. Western Bulldogs: Gilbee, Cross, Eagleton, Giansiracusa, Murphy, Cooney.
INJURIES: Western Bulldogs: Johnson (ankle)
UMPIRES: Donlon, Vozzo, Ryan.
CROWD 24,801 at Skilled Stadium.

THE UPSHOT
Geelong heads into Friday night's blockbuster against Hawthorn with just one loss for the season and a healthy shot of momentum for the final six rounds. To make matters worse for other grand final hopefuls, the Cats have the depth to cover the loss of injured All-Australian pair Gary Ablett and Cameron Ling.

TALKING POINT
After heading to quarter-time and half-time with scores level, the Cats found another gear in the second half that leaves little doubt the second-best team in the competition as of yesterday is several kilometres off the pace.

HOT AND COLD
Darren Milburn had an astonishing 18 disposals when he left the ground late in the first term and returned to finish the quarter with one more kick. Milburn rounded out his afternoon with 32 disposals and nine marks, while normally dangerous Bulldogs forward Jason Akermanis had 11 disposals and no impact on the match.