CATS BELT BULLDOGS ON HOME TURF, ROCKET TO TOP OF LADDER
Ben Jensen 18 June 2016

AFL ROUND 13 2016: WESTERN BULLDOGS V GEELONG CATS PATRICK DANGERFIELD and Dan Menzel had a night out at Etihad Stadium for the second Saturday night in a row, helping the Cats deliver a fair old belting to fellow top-four side the Western Bulldogs. Menzel, who it was feared would miss tonight's game after hurting an ankle last weekend on the Etihad synthetic turf, kicked four goals including two in the first quarter while Dangerfield had 37 possessions and kicked two goals including an incredible kick from the boundary line around 50m out.

Hyped forward Jake 'The Package' Stringer was anything but, not registering a single goal though kicking three behinds. Tom Hawkins who returned from a one match suspension didn't do an awful lot in the first half but finished with four goals. No Bulldogs player kicked multiple goals while the Cats had five- Selwood, Motlop and Dangerfield all kicking two apiece. Umpiring was interesting tonight with four field umpires, a feature of the next three rounds that comprise six games per round with the byes spread out.

The Cats have had a wayward month or so in front of goal but tonight were sleek and efficient, kicking sixteen goals and registering just four behinds. By contrast the Bulldogs were hopeless, kicking no goals and five behinds in the first quarter and just one goal and nine behinds in the first half. In the final quarter they registered a solitary point but in the third quarter momentarily had the better of the Cats with four goals three, including the last three goals of the quarter to make the Channel Seven commentators a little bit excited they may have a contest after all.

The final term was a procession along the lines of the first two quarters, the Cats booting five straight goals to just the one behind as mentioned. Hawkins added three goals while Dangerfield's goal of the match came in the eighth minute. Josh Caddy limped from the field however dampening the win somewhat, copping a knock to his left leg that appeared to hurt either a knee or ankle. He was seen on crutches after the game but as the pundits on K-Rock noted, still had his boots on, a good sign according to Tim McGrath.

Geelong is now on top of the ladder by percentage from North Melbourne (second) and Hawthorn (third)- the Hawks doing a job on the Kangaroos last night. The Sydney Swans may make it a four-way tie if they can defeat Melbourne tomorrow at the SCG. Geelong plays St Kilda here again next Saturday night before having the following week off with a bye.

GEELONG: 5.3, 10.3, 11.4, 16.4 (100) DEFEATED
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 0.5, 1.9, 5.12, 5.13 (43)

GOALS
GEELONG: Menzel 4, Hawkins 4, Selwood 2, Motlop 2, Dangerfield 2, Caddy, Murdoch
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Redpath, Wallis, Picken, Suckling, Jong

BEST
GEELONG: Dangerfield, Selwood, Henderson, Bartel, Enright, Motlop, Menzel
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Boyd, Suckling, Adams, Daniel, Macrae

CHANGES
GEELONG: Cameron Guthrie, illness out for Cory Gregson
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Nil

INJURIES
GEELONG: Caddy (ankle)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Stringer (left hand)

REPORTS: TBC

UMPIRES: (4 umpires this week) Kenny Dalgleish, Jeff Farmer, Ken Rosebury, Lindy Chamberlain

CROWD: 41,725 at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Docklands