GEELONG overcame a sluggish first half and 40-point deficit at the main break to defeat Essendon in their JLT Community Series match at Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval on Sunday.
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A massive crowd of 8399 packed the QEO to watch the Cats prevail 1.17.11 (122) to 2.12.10 (100) and win their first game of the pre-season.
The Bombers will go into round one without a pre-season win after they were unable to capitalise on a flying start against the Cats.
Essendon led 2.9.5 (77) to 0.5.7 (37) after a blistering first half in which the Bombers were ignited up forward by Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
Livewrie McDonald-Tipungwuti kicked three goals in the first half, providing plenty of energy inside the attacking 50.
The Bombers were more polished with their ball movement than the Cats in the first half, but the game swung dramatically in the third quarter as Geelong not only charged back into the contest, but took the lead into the final term.
After kicking just five goals in the first half, the Cats unleashed a nine-goal third term as the Bombers ground to a halt.
Having been well beaten in the middle in the first half, the Cats took control of the centre square in the third term and the quarter was almost played exclusively in their front half at the city end.
Within the first seven minutes of the quarter the Cats had booted four goals without the ball entering Essendon’s forward half.
The surge started when Andrew Mackie nailed a nine-point super goal from outside 50, and was followed by skipper Joel Selwood back in his home town marking and converting a set-shot.
Selwood added a second goal later in the term when he booted a 50m set-shot.
But the star of the quarter was Cats’ key forward Tom Hawkins.
Hawkins booted four goals for the quarter – the second of which was a strong second effort when he spilled a mark, but recovered the ball at ground level and put it through.
By three quarter-time the Cats had edged seven points in front after the Bombers were restricted to just two goals for the third term – one of which was a fourth goal to McDonald-Tipungwuti.
The Cats had all the momentum, but the Bombers leveled scores 98-apiece 14 minutes into the final term after ruckman Shaun McKernan snapped his third goal.
However, the Cats finished the stronger, kicking the final four goals of the match – one of which was from the mark of the day by Lincoln McCarthy – to finish 22 point victors.
Geelong’s star midfield duo of Selwood (32) and reigning Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield (38) were outstanding, combining for 70 disposals, while recruit Zach Tuohy racked up 25 and Mackie and George Horlin-Smith each had 24.
The Bombers suffered an injury blow in the first quarter to ruckman Matthew Leuenberger (hamstring).
Brendon Goddard (28), Jobe Watson (27), new captain Dyson Heppell (24) and Zach Merrett (24) finishes as Essendon’s leading possession-getters.
