Geelong beats the yips
“Tim Kelly stepped up tonight. What a moment and what a player. Someone in their first year, taking it upon himself to finish the work.”
Geelong’s victory, coming after back-to-back losses to Richmond and Western Bulldogs, ensures it will stay in the top eight.
The Swans’ loss means they will slip out of the top four if Port Adelaide defeats St Kilda tomorrow.
It could also prove incredibly costly on the injury front, with former co-captains Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh suffering injuries.
Jack hurt his knee in the first quarter and played no further part in the game, with the club fearing the veteran has tweaked his medial ligament and is likely to spend a month on the sidelines.
McVeigh trudged off late in the final term, having seemingly done serious damage to his shoulder or collarbone.
Franklin fell a goal short of booting the 900th goal of his career. The superstar was one of few Swans to stand up in the lop-sided opening half, tormenting opponent Mark Blicavs with a couple of classy goals. He then kicked the opening two goals of the third quarter, but the Cats rallied.
Geelong midfielder Mitch Duncan was among the leading best-on-ground contenders, tallying 32 disposals, while Selwood bounced back after being well tagged by George Hewett in the opening half.
Kelly, one of six players to make their debut for the Cats this year, kicked two goals and showed great composure throughout the match.
Hawkins, who helped push his side’s lead to a match-high 21 points during the second term, finished with 2.5.
In a twist of fate, Harry Taylor kicked the sealer with little more than a minute left on the clock after missing a shot after the siren to lose to the Western Bulldogs last week.
It was one of his few important involvements, as he played forward again but struggled to make an impact in his second match back from a foot injury.
Aliir Aliir kept him quiet early and then turned the screws after the break as he produced one of the best performances of his career.
He finished with 19 possessions including 12 contested and eight marks, and was one of the few positives for Sydney.