Cats v Bombers - snippets
Star Man: Jimmy Bartel (Geelong) - This honour could have gone to any one of a half a dozen Cats on Sunday and was the case for most of last year there was very little separating the Cats' reigning Brownlow Medalist from the club's reigning best and fairest winner Gary Ablett as the league's best midfield combination totally destroyed the Bombers. As early as ten minutes in the first term Bartel set up Ablett for a great goal on the run but it was the Brownlow Medalist who provided most of the game's best highlights from that moment on including a great mark in the second term (see below) and one of the most casual goals on the run you would ever want to see in the third term. By game's end he had wracked up 38 possessions but would not even be assured of the three Brownlow votes such as the total dominance of many of his teammates as well.
Classic Grab: Bartel proved yet again that he is one of the best marks for his size in the AFL with a ripper of a grab in the second term. Bartel was outnumbered two to one as Tom Hawkins centred a kick across goal towards him but the star midfielder didn't worry as he used Essendon youngster Courtenay Dempsey as a stepladder to take a classic screamer with his knee on Dempsey's shoulder before finishing his good work off with a goal.
What a Goal! Geelong ruckman Mark Blake is not exactly known as a goalkicker and in fact most Cats' fans have their hearts in their mouths whenever he elects to kick the ball anywhere out on the ground. So imagine the shock and delight of Cats fans when the big man - who has only ever previously kicked two AFL goals - produced a great goal on the run from 50 metres out on a tight angle in the first term after getting on the end of a handball from Joel Selwood.
Turning Point: The Cats led by 20 points at quarter-time, even though the Bombers had been competitive during the opening term, but the reigning premiers ended the game as a contest with a magnificent first six minutes of the second term. During that time the Cats slammed on four goals without reply to cruise to a 45 point lead and such was their total dominance and Essendon's inability to get the ball during this period that the Cats wracked up 20 kicks to four and 22 marks to five during the first nine minutes of the quarter.
Absolute Shocker: Essendon fans might be used to success but it's clear a lot of them are struggling to come to terms with their team no longer being able to compete with the competition big guns such as Geelong. The Bombers' tried hard on Sunday but were simply no match for one of the best teams in the history of the game and as a result their forwards were starved of opportunities due to the Cats total dominance of the midfield. So for Essendon fans to give skipper Matthew Lloyd the bronx cheers when he took a rare mark in the third term was a bit much, particularly as Lloyd virtually won the Bombers' first round clash against the Kangaroos off his own boot just a week ago.
Unsung Hero: Joel Selwood (Geelong) - He might still live in the shadow of his more experienced midfielders such as Gary Ablett, Cameron Ling, Joel Corey and Jimmy Bartel but last year's AFL Rising Star winner just continues to not put a foot wrong in his league career. Selwood, who has still only played in two losing sides in his 23 games to date, harassed the Bombers' midfield into submission on Sunday with his non-stop tackling which constantly set up goalscoring chances for his team.