A THURSDAY night thriller between Geelong and the Western Bulldogs lived up to the hype with the Cats holding on to win by 14 points in a classic at GMHBA Stadium.

In a game that was built up on the narrative of new Cat Bailey Smith coming up against his former team, the football did the talking in one of the best games so far this season.

CATS V DOGS Full match details and stats

Key forwards Jeremy Cameron and Shannon Neale booted six and five goals, respectively, to help Geelong get over the line 20.7 (127) to 16.17 (113) in front of a crowd of 32,641.

The Dogs will rue their missed opportunities in front of goal, finishing the evening with 17 behinds, which in the close contest proved costly.

Those anticipating some niggle between Smith and his former teammates at the first bounce were left disappointed when he lined up on new Dog Matthew Kennedy and stood dutifully next to his opponent without any animosity. 

"I certainly s*** myself for this game but it was almost reverse psychology with them not giving me attention," Smith told Channel Seven after the match.

"So it was good, they didn't go after me and I loved it. I'm so glad we beat them."

In the absence of any Smith drama on the ground, the crowd decided to take it into their own hands with a choir of cheers and jeers erupting around GMHBA Stadium every time the bandana-wearing mid went anywhere near the ball. The rowdy crowd didn't seem to have any influence on the 24-year-old, who had 10 disposals and three clearances in the first term.

With Smith remaining calm, the focus shifted to in-form forward Cameron as he continued his outstanding form from last week where he kicked seven goals against Port Adelaide. Cameron was one of 10 individual goalkickers in a high-scoring opening term. 

Key Dogs hit the scoreboard including Rhylee West and Ed Richards who booted a mammoth goal on the run from outside 50. But a couple of early missed opportunities meant that even though the Dogs had more shots on goal, they only went into quarter-time with a three-point lead.

It was all Geelong in the second term as Cameron's impact on the game grew. The rangy left footer kicked the first two of the quarter becoming the game's first multiple goalscorer. His influence lifted Geelong, as the Cats began to dominate in the middle and inside 50s. The Cats added six unanswered goals, while the Dogs squandered the few opportunities they had forward.

Finally, with less than 30 seconds left before half-time, the Dogs got their first goal when Naughton soccered through his second, his goal giving Dogs supporters a slight glimmer of hope heading into the main break with the lead going Geelong's way by 25 points.

The Dogs leaders lifted in the third term and they got the perfect start after the main break when Bontempelli delivered a centimetre perfect pass to Buku Khamis inside 50. Liberatore and Richards started to get their hands on the footy more, but with every step forward the Dogs took, Geelong had the answers as Shaun Mannagh, Cameron and Neale continued to hit the scoreboard.

The crowd lifted again midway through the term when hard running midfielder Max Holmes sprinted towards goal, took three bounces and backed himself in to kick an exhilarating Goal of the Year contender.

Kennedy, one of the recruits of the year, kicked two goals in quick succession and reduced the margin to 10 points, setting up a big final term.

Another Bulldogs goal, this time to Richards, reduced the margin to four points at the start of the fourth quarter, before last year's Rising Star Ollie Dempsey, who had a quiet night compared to his recent form, took a remarkable mark when he stayed down among a huge group of players and finished with a classy snap from the boundary.

With less than eight minutes remaining scores drew level with a Naughton goal and a James Harmes point tying the game. But just as Naughton had done moments before, a running goal to Neale gave the Cats some breathing space giving them back the lead. A ruck infringement against James O'Donnell gifted Neale his fifth goal moments later, pushing the lead out to 12 points. 

Stengle looked to seal the game when he kicked his second, but a third goal to Kennedy right before the siren reduced the margin again to 14 points.

Old Dog, new Bailey 
The football world was watching on as firestarter Bailey Smith came up against his old side for the first time. Fans have been waiting patiently for this match since Round 8 when Smith quipped, "Not getting this at Ballarat" following the Cats' three-point win over Collingwood in front of 82,000 at the MCG. On Thursday night, there was applause and boos every time Smith's blonde locks went near the footy. In his 10th game at his new club, the usually controversial mid was nothing but a gentleman, expending his energy on winning the ball rather than niggling with the Dogs. Smith finished the match with an equal game-high 33 disposals, six clearances and 810 metres gained, continuing his outstanding form this season.

Milestone Mitch
Veteran Cat Mitch Duncan became the seventh Geelong player to reach the 300-game milestone. Duncan, who is in his 16th season, made his debut in 2010 and has been part of two premierships (2011, 2022). On Thursday, the no-fuss utility took centre stage running through the team’s banner with three of his four children and was chaired off post match by teammates Jeremy Cameron and Mark Blicavs. Duncan started the match on the bench, but was cheered as he ran out onto the ground with the stalwart having a reasonably quiet night with 11 disposals.

GEELONG             5.1       11.4       16.5     20.7 (127)
WESTERN BULLDOGS             5.4       6.9       13.13     16.17 (113)

GOALS
Geelong: Cameron 6, Neale 5, Mannagh 2, Stengle, O.Henry, Blicavs, Atkins, Holmes, Dempsey, Stengle
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Kennedy 3, Khamis 2, Vandermeer 2, Richards 2, West, Davidson, English, Freijah

BEST
Geelong: Cameron, Holmes, Neale, Smith, Blicavs
Western Bulldogs: Richards, Kennedy, O’Donnell, Bontempelli, Lobb

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Ted Clohesy (replaced Oliver Henry in the fourth quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Lachie Bramble (replaced Luke Cleary in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 32,641 at GMHBA Stadium