Cats survive another thriller

FOR THE second week in a row, Geelong has won a thriller by inside a goal, beating Adelaide by two points at Skilled Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A super second half from the Crows wasn't quite enough as Geelong consolidated their grip on second spot on the back of six goals form Paul Chapman.

The Crows were down by 27 points midway through the third term but kicked four goals in eight minutes to get inside a goal.

With their tails up, the visitors then kicked the first three of the last to go to an eight point lead, but Chapman booted two in a row late in the game to salvage the win for the hosts.

The victory keeps Geelong's winning run at Skilled Stadium going, now at 15 straight.

Chapman led from the front for the Cats, kicking six, while through the midfield 150-gamer Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood, Joel Corey had excellent games, while Cameron Ling did an excellent job on Scott Thompson.

In an undermanned Geelong defence, 250-gamer Darren Milburn was excellent, as was Harley until he was forced off in the third after a head clash.

For the Crows, Kurt Tippet was a handful, kicking four along with Brett Burton, in just his third game back after a full knee reconstruction.

Brent Reilly used it well all game, Graham Johncock played both ends with aplomb and Andrew McLeod gave good run off half-back. Nathan Bock and Simon Goodwin were also important.

The Cats got off to a good start, with the returning Stevie Johnson feeding Matthew Stokes for the first. A Cameron Mooney miss let the Crows take it the length of the ground for their first, and the teams swapped goals for the Cats lead by a point at the first break.

The second saw the Cats take control – a great high-flying mark to last week's hero Jimmy Bartel saw a goal after just a minute.

Chapman slotted a fine major from outside 50 before Mooney accepted Bock's gift – the All-Australian centre half-back's howler falling straight into his opponent's hands in front of goal.

Chapman's second took the lead out to three goals at the major break.

The Cats kicked three of the first four in the third quarter, but the Crows made their move with four goals in seven minutes ensuring a thrilling last term.

Geelong took an eight-point lead into the final quarter but the advantage was quickly wiped out as the gaps in the Cats' undermanned back line began to be exposed.

Adelaide continually pumped the ball into attack and its forwards in Burton, Chris Knights and Scott Stevens each goaled to give it a sniff of a famous victory.

Cam Mooney hit back for the Cats before Burton's fourth – and second for the term – took Adelaide out to a 10-point lead.

But Chapman injected himself into the contest with devastating effect.

His fifth and sixth goals breathed life into his flagging teammates, snatching back the lead and delivering the impetus for a second famous victory in as many weeks.

The Cats kick off the round on Friday against the Blues at the MCG, while the Crows host Collingwood on Saturday night.

Geelong  3.3  7.7  11.7  14.9 (93)
Adelaide  3.2  4.7  9.11  13.13 (91)

GOALS
Geelong:  Chapman 6, Ablett 2, Mooney 2, Johnson, Stokes, Bartel, Selwood
Adelaide: Tippett 4, Burton 4, Johncock, Doughty, Knights, Stevens, Reilly

BEST
Geelong: Chapman, Bartel, Selwood, Milburn, Johnson, Harley
Adelaide: Tippett, Burton, Reilly, Johncock, Goodwin, McLeod

INJURIES
Geelong: T. Lonergan (groin, replaced before the game by T. Gillies)
Adelaide: N. Bock (bruised heel)

Reports: Nil

Umpires:  Stevic, McLaren, Nicholls
Official crowd: 21.686 at Skilled Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not those of the clubs or the AFL

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