DANGERFIELD AND MENZEL STAR AS CATS BEAT KANGAROOS AT ETIHAD
Ben Jensen 11 June 2016

AFL ROUND 12 2016: GEELONG CATS V NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS GEELONG had a hiccup in the second quarter but in the end easily accounted for North Melbourne in front of a bumper crowd at Etihad Stadium tonight. Dan Menzel had a fair hand in the win, booting four goals and having a fifth disallowed, breaking the back of the Roos in the second half. Patrick Dangerfield amazingly had just under fifty possessions (48) and kicked two goals.

The Cats led at quarter time by four points and booted an early goal in the second but from there on the Cats struggled as the Kangaroos led by Boomer Harvey scored four unanswered goals. Harvey seemed to have the ball on a string at one stage while the Cats had several shots at goal the inaccuracy that has been an unfortunate hallmark of the last month of so of the season continued. The Roos though were hit harder than the Cats by injury with Andrew Swallow copping a big knock in the first quarter and was in a track suit by the second quarter. Ben Cunnington suffered a nasty quadricep injury and was also absent.

Jimmy Bartel got the ball rolling and the Cats out of their rut with a brilliant goal off half a step in the first minute and the Cats put the foot down from there. When the game was there to be won the Cats really stepped up, with Menzel and Shane Kersten dining out in front of goal that quarter as the Cats quickly jumped to a 20-something point lead. North Melbourne did manage three goals themselves including one after the siren by Mason Wood to reduce the Cats' lead to 15 points.

Only four goals were scored in the last quarter but three of them were by the Cats, the Kangaroos never really looking like making a proper comeback. Mitch Duncan got on the end of a brilliant chain of kicks and handballs to kick his only goal of the match in the third minute, Menzel his fourth eight minutes in, the game still in the balance but getting close to being over. Patrick Dangerfield's second goal five minutes later effectively ended the game with the Cats now leading the Roos by 34 points. The Cats weren't quite done yet though, Steven Motlop in his one hundredth game booting the ball from the air straight through the middle for his only goal of the game. Mason Wood kicked his second of the game late in the quarter to reduce the final margin to 31 points.

So, Chris Scott won the battle with his brother Brad, who has now lost two games in a row after winning the first ten. The Cats play the next three games at Etihad, two of them before the bye against the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda. The Bulldogs had a good win over Port Adelaide in Adelaide today while the Saints are capable of beating any side on their day. Menzel suffered an injury scare in the third quarter but returned to the field soon after his ankle was examined, Menz slipping after almost juggling a mark deep in the forward pocket. Tom Hawkins will return from his one match suspension.

GEELONG: 4.4, 5.9, 12.11, 15.15 (105) DEFEATED
NORTH MELBOURNE: 4.0, 8.1, 11.2, 12.2 (74)

GOALS
GEELONG: Menzel 4, Kersten 3, Bartel, Dangerfield 2, Caddy, Duncan, Lang, Motlop
NORTH MELBOURNE: Harvey 4, Ziebell, Wood, Petrie 2, Thomas, McDonald

BEST
GEELONG: Dangerfield, Enright, Selwood, Menzel, Taylor, Bartel
NORTH MELBOURNE: Wells, Ziebell, Tarrant, Harvey, Gibson

CHANGES
GEELONG: Nil
NORTH MELBOURNE: Nil

INJURIES
GEELONG: Menzel (ankle)
NORTH MELBOURNE: Atley (right ankle), Swallow (concussion), Cunnington (corked thigh)

REPORTS: TBC

UMPIRES: Donlon, Stephens, Stevic

CROWD: 44,045 at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Docklands

4 goals to Menzel. Take a bow @GeelongCats #AFLCatsNorth https://t.co/ooRVavab63

— AFL on 7 (@7AFL) June 11, 2016

DAN MENZEL'S FOURTH GOAL IN THE THIRD QUARTER