BRUISED and battered in a rare loss last week, premier Geelong was a team on a mission last night, smashing Carlton in an awesome display of power football that proved it is still the most potent force in the competition.

The Blues dared to make a contest of the match for the first half, trailing by only 13 points at the major break after an entertaining opening hour of football, but paid heavily in the second half for their efforts. A dazzling third quarter when the Cats kicked six unanswered goals — and it probably should have been more except for wayward kicking — blew open the contest. To underline its control over the match at that point, Geelong had 23 inside-50s to Carlton's six.

The 56-point victory had all the hallmarks of a typical, clinical Geelong victory. Hit hard by a ferocious-tackling Collingwood last week, Geelong lifted its own intensity last night. The Cats put pressure on the Blues all over the ground, hitting their young opponents with vigour through 81 tackles compared with Carlton's 46. Much was made of the Magpies' 85 tackles against the premier last week, but the Cats showed again that they also possess such steel.

Geelong showed its hand early. It was going to run all night and it was going to squeeze every ounce out of the match. The Cats are an efficient team. Despite their dominance, they still had fewer overall possessions (368 to 395) than the Blues, but they moved the ball through the midfield with ease. They peeled off their opponents with confidence, knowing their strength when the contest was hot. And they flooded into their forward line to give their forwards plenty of back-up and put added pressure on the Carlton defence, which eventually wilted under the weight of opportunity.

The Cats opened the match with a goal to Mathew Stokes — one of a trio of small forwards who haunted Carlton all night — and it was sign of things to come for the rest of the night. Gary Ablett was instrumental in setting up Stokes for the first goal and the duo was influential all night.

Stokes ended the night with four goals, Steve Johnson finished with five and Shannon Byrnes kicked three.

For the first half, Carlton matched the Cats level of intensity. Led by their superstar captain Chris Judd, the Blues were breaking even in the middle of the ground. Judd was tagged by Cameron Ling and while the Cats' main stopper had more effect in the second half of the game, Judd showed his class early on. The skipper was lifting the young Blues and keeping them in pace with the champions.

In the opening minutes of the second quarter, Carlton actually hit the front when Cameron Cloke took a strong mark in the forward pocket and then goaled.

But it was always going to be a task for the Blues to keep up with the Cats, because while Carlton was playing at its best, it was obvious the Cats had another gear.

And it was Ablett, the star of the night, who pushed his team into the driver's seat. He controlled the match from the opening bounce, where he was pitted against Nick Stevens. The duel lasted the entire first half but it was never a contest, as Ablett did as he pleased. He was too quick for Stevens and found space at will. Not only did he attack but his defence was also sound, ending the night with eight tackles.

Ablett had plenty of help in the midfield, with Joel Corey, Jimmy Bartel, Andrew Mackie, James Kelly, David Wojcinski and Joel Selwood all winning the ball with ease.

If there was an emotional highlight of the night, it was the return of Tom Lonergan, who played his first game in almost two years. Lonergan was a late replacement for Cameron Mooney, who withdrew because of shoulder soreness.

Lonergan's previous match was in round 21, 2006, against Melbourne, when he lost a kidney after a sickening clash. He started the night at full-forward and was clearly nervous in the first quarter, kicking three behinds. It was not a night for the tall forwards, but Lonergan did kick two goals during the Cats' third-quarter onslaught, and when the first came at the 22-minute mark of the term, the delight was obvious from all.

The Brendan Fevola-Matthew Scarlett duel presented itself as one of the most tantalising of the night. It started off in a blaze of glory, the Carlton superstar working incredibly hard to create opportunities for the Blues. He kicked an early goal, but as the Cats' outstanding midfield grabbed control of the centre square, the chances for Fevola to convert effort into goals began to dry up. The Carlton full-forward kicked three goals for the night.


GEELONG2.7 7.10 13.18 19.19 (133)
CARLTON 2.2 6.3 6.4 12.5 (77)
GOALS: Geelong: S Johnson 5, Stokes 4, Byrnes 3, Lonergan 2, Rooke, Milburn, Mackie, Bartel, Varcoe. Carlton: Fevola 3, Betts 2, Gibbs 2, Cloke, Judd, Scotland, Stevens, Wiggins.
BEST: Geelong: Ablett, S Johnson, Corey, Milburn, Stokes, Byrnes. Carlton: Judd, Simpson, Thornton, Armfield.
INJURIES: Geelong: Mooney (shoulder) replaced in the selected side by Lonergan. Carlton: Bower (shoulder).
UMPIRES: Avon, Farmer, Ryan.
CROWD: 46,231 at Telstra Dome.

THE UPSHOT
THE premier returned to its sizzling best with a 56-point win to reassert its dominance. Geelong's stars came out to play last night, with mercurial forward Steve Johnson kicking five goals and elusive midfielder Gary Ablett compiling 32 disposals, while the fans rediscovered their voice just a week after being silenced at the MCG.

TALKING POINT
AFTER falling 36 tackles behind Collingwood's staggering effort of 85 in round nine, Geelong turned the tables on the besieged Blues last night. Cats coach Mark Thompson said after last week's loss that opposition sides had "come at us" in an effort to unsettle his players and "we have to give it back" at some stage. Last night, they did, laying 29 tackles to nine in the third quarter alone and finishing the match with 81 to 46.

HOT AND COLD
CARLTON was tough and hard from the opening bounce and had the answers when Geelong challenged the Blues in the clinches and on the scoreboard. Carlton went to the main break only 13 points behind, but quickly fell off the pace in the second half. A rushed behind was the Blues' only score in the third quarter, while the Cats piled on six goals and took control of the match. Carlton kicked six goals in the final term, but the result was already beyond doubt.