GEELONG has put the competition on notice with a devastating 78-point defeat of Fremantle on Saturday afternoon.

The post-Tom Hawkins era of the Cats' attack proved ruthless, with a spread of 13 different goalkickers contributing to the 23.9 (147) to 10.9 (69) win at GMHBA Stadium.

CATS v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats

Bailey Smith's first official game in the hoops was an impressive one, as the recruit recorded 32 disposals, 700 metres gained and a goal, on return from an ACL injury no less, while Lawson Humphries' (23 disposals, six inside 50s) star continues to rise.

Fremantle's loss was compounded by a groin injury to small forward Sam Switkowski early in the third quarter.

Geelong's demolition of the Dockers was only challenged by debutant Murphy Reid, whose four unanswered goals in six minutes through the third quarter cut the margin back to a realistic deficit by the final break.

But that sniff of momentum was snuffed out as Chris Scott injected captain Patrick Dangerfield into the middle to stamp the home side's authority in the final quarter.

The hot weather was a concern for the visitors with players noticeably cramping throughout the game, but Fremantle also had a hard time escaping the heat Geelong brought. Further exacerbated by the notoriously narrow deck of Kardinia Park, the clear desire to use quick handball chains had the Cats licking their lips.

When the Dockers did find the space to run and gun, their ball movement was dangerous, but the dedication to such a style of play when the pressure came meant that end-to-end transition was only sparingly executed.

Geelong has maintained a stranglehold on the competition for two decades because of a dedication to getting the fundamentals right. That continued on Saturday afternoon, with a clear desperation to defend with speed and expertly maintain territory control.

For Fremantle, unfortunately the opposite was true. Dropped marks, turnover kicks, and panicked decision-making marred the side's start to the season.

Playing as a pure midfielder, Max Holmes' (24 disposals, two goals) powerful run repeatedly caught his Fremantle opponents out as he transitioned into attack, while Brad Close (15 disposals, one goal) presented the same concerns for those in purple from the wing.

In the absence of Tom Hawkins, who retired at the end of last year, Dangerfield (two goals) made a faultless transition to the forward line for three quarters. Playing as a hit up forward thanks to his marking prowess, he proved particularly difficult to contain given his elite ability on the deck, and even took on Hawkins' mantle of rucking at forward stoppages.  

Fremantle's centre clearance dominance of 2024 continued, winning the metric 18-14, but the quality of those clearances can differ vastly. The side's third quarter burst was largely built on that strength at the reset, but outside of that Geelong was all too willing to shut down those exits at the second layer around stoppage, and turn a clearance lost into an attacking foray.

Midfield trio Andrew Brayshaw (26 disposals, one goal), Caleb Serong (27 disposals), and Matt Johnson (27 disposals) racked up the disposals, with support from Nathan O'Driscoll (25 disposals).

Reid's quarter
It was shaping as a horror debut for Fremantle's Murphy Reid, with his side down by 54 points at half time and just three disposals to his name. But then came the third quarter in which Reid put his name in lights. His first attempt at goal didn't quite go to plan, struggling to make the distance on his set shot from 50m, but his ability to learn from that set up the next. With a set shot from a near-identical position mere minutes later, Reid balked his opposition on the mark to make the distance more suitable, slotting the goal beautifully. But he didn't stop there. To that point in the game, Fremantle had managed to string together just three consecutive goals on either side of the main break. Reid, himself, slammed home four of his own in the space of just six minutes to get the visitors within touching distance heading into the final term.

Off-season impact
The addition of Bailey Smith to Geelong's already star-studded lineup was seamless, as the former Bulldog moved with ease through the midfield and forward lines. Despite a heavily strapped left knee, on return from an ACL injury, he didn't skip a beat, slicing through the Dockers' defences. For the Dockers, they will be desperate to add their own marquee recruit in Shai Bolton sooner rather than later. His class and creativity was sorely missed, compounded by the lack of Hayden Young's elite kick, as the midfielder missed with a hamstring.

Miers' magic
To open Geelong's account for 2025, Gryan Miers might have kicked the club – and the League's – goal of the year. Gathering the footy in a one-on-one tight up against the boundary, Miers looked to the big sticks and backed himself in from 45m. Under pressure, he curved the ball expertly through for the first goal of the game, while Shannon Neale needed to do little more than watch the ball sail over his head.

GEELONG                    5.4    12.4    13.6   23.9 (147)
FREMANTLE                1.1    3.4      9.9     10.9 (69)
 
GOALS 
Geelong: Cameron 4, Stengle 3, O.Henry 3, Holmes 2, Dangerfield 2, Dempsey 2, Miers, Bowes, Close, Atkins, Neale, Smith, De Koning
Fremantle: Reid 4, Frederick 2, Brayshaw, Treacy, Banfield, Cox
 
BEST 
Geelong: Smith, Dangerfield, Humphries, De Koning, Stengle, Holmes
Fremantle: Johnson, Reid, Brayshaw, O'Meara
 
INJURIES 
Geelong: TBC
Fremantle: Switkowski (groin)
 
SUBSTITUTES 
Geelong: Jhye Clark (replaced Mark O'Connor in the final term)
Fremantle: Heath Chapman (replaced Sam Switkowski in the third term)
 
Crowd: 25,372 at GMHBA Stadium