GEELONG 5.8 11.8 14.10 15.19 (109)
MELBOURNE 2.1 4.4 5.9 8.9 (57)
GOALS Geelong: Hawkins 4, Prismall 3, Bartel, Varcoe, Ottens, Byrnes, Mooney, Chapman, Milburn, Ling. Melbourne: Green 4, Moloney 2, Johnstone, Godfrey.
BEST Geelong: Bartel, Prismall, Chapman, Hawkins, Enright, G Ablett. Melbourne: Green, Bruce, McDonald, Moloney.
INJURIES Geelong: N Ablett (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Selwood.
UMPIRES: Ellis, Hendrie, Avon.
CROWD: 38,438 at the MCG.

WHEN Tom Hawkins — sorry, the Tomahawk, for those still unlearned in such matters — strolled to the bench midway through the second quarter the game, such as it was, ended.

The boy with the thighs of Lockett, the looks of Sam Newman before doctors had their way with him, and the reputation of Ablett The First, had just kicked his fourth goal. He had ignited the match and destroyed any semblance of hope Melbourne had of being evenly remotely competitive — not only in this game, but in any encounter they are likely to have in the near future.

The margin at that stage was 36 points, but it loomed more likely to be triple that and better in an hour's time. Neale Daniher knew it, for upon Hawkins' return after catching his breath he tasked two players to follow the man-boy in just his second game.

In doing so, Daniher essentially surrendered any thoughts of winning the game. This was not a large admission with his side being humbled, and discretion proved the better part of valour. Melbourne attempted to play football the way it considers it should be played but discovered Geelong already doing that. And doing it better than the Demons were.

In the second half, Melbourne was determined to hold and carry the ball, to move forward in increments, passing and sharing. It put extra numbers around the ball and back, so moving forward was a speculative notion. It sought to close the game down and deny Geelong space or the ball, even if it meant similarly denying itself much hope of winning.

The absence of its two leading goalkickers prompted a restructure, with Mark Jamar chosen first at full-forward. This was an ambit claim and the Demons certainly looked the better once Brad Green was tried. While he lacks size, he at least has a sense of when and where to lead.

Now Melbourne has lost its forward line it has rudely exposed an equally troubling deficiency at the other end of the field. These issues, however, have been magnified by the outrageously bad form of chief playmakers Aaron Davey and Travis Johnstone.

"We tried to go with them in open football in the first half but we were nowhere near their skill level — they use the ball very well — so we had to change it around in the second half and change our system of play and ended up losing the second half by four points," Daniher lamented.

Geelong — through Corey Enright, Gary Ablett, Joel Selwood and David Wojcinski — was so fast and clinical with its ball movement that not all blame could be sheeted home to Melbourne's defenders.

The Cats, by contrast, had not only a functioning forward line — even one able to accommodate the absolute last-minute loss of centre half-forward Nathan Ablett — but they had a midfield who knew how to find it.

In the space of two matches, the Cats have become the most compelling side in football. The player who lost his name to a nickname in just two matches and the one who lost his place in the side two minutes before the game started have ensured that.

Yesterday Hawkins, with four goals in a half, was not Geelong's best player but he was almost as influential as Jimmy Bartel roaming across half-back. His one black mark is that he clearly only kicks for goal, for his field kicking was terrible.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson said the late withdrawal of Ablett had forced him to use his other young star for longer than he might have liked, which was only about half as long as the crowd wished to see him for.

"You see it on many, many occasions that second game up, after a big first week, they don't play that well, but he really did set us alight early," Thompson said.

"It is so good to have people in your forward line who can mark the ball with someone right on them in a contested situation."

Which might well have been a line uttered by Neale Daniher.