GEELONG'S four-headed monster up forward cannot be stopped, as Greater Western Sydney discovered on Saturday afternoon at GMHBA Stadium.

Continuing to flirt with the top of the ladder, the Cats did bulk damage early - posting their third-highest half-time score in club history - before recording a 14.12 (96) to 5.3 (33) win.

CATS v GIANTS Full match coverage and stats

It is a result that continues to pile pressure on an underperforming Giants outfit, with just one win from nine games this year.

The only sour note for the Cats was a late shoulder injury to key defender Claudia Gunjaca, the result of some friendly fire in a marking contest.

Geelong was in its typical hard-running, high-scoring mood from the outset, landing the opening goal of the game within one minute thanks to some transition footy and an Aishling Moloney beauty.

Although the Giants worked exceptionally hard to defend and apply pressure in the clinches, they simply couldn't contain the breakaway power of players like Georgie Prespakis (40 disposals, 409 metres gained), Mikayla Bowen (29 disposals, one goal), and Moloney (25 disposals, four goals).

Prespakis was the standout, as her 40 touches set a new personal best, and her 12 score involvements included three behinds of her own – the only slight on an otherwise brilliant game.

In an attempt to stymie the Cats' heavy attack, the Giants looked toward their usual extra into defence, with Georgia Garnett starting most centre stoppages at the defensive corner of the centre square and sliding back behind the ball.

It was an early signal from the visitors that they weren't convinced they could defend well enough up the ground to keep equal numbers down back.

But even an extra couldn’t solve the problem that was Moloney, Jackie Parry, Chloe Scheer and Chantal Mason in the Cats' attacking line.

A late attacking surge from the Giants narrowed the margin, but it was too little, too late.

The visitors were beaten soundly at clearance, with too many moments where three or four Giants were caught ball hunting, as the Cats deftly worked through the congestion to win the ball and break free.

Ultimately Geelong won the clearance count 31-17, as Prespakis led the way with 11.

Prespakis was at her slippery best, offering elite release options for her teammates with powerful handballs away from numbers, and the dash of winger Bryde O'Rourke (nine disposals, one goal) added coverage across all lines.

The Giants looked most dangerous when they got the ball moving at speed by hand, but there was a tendency to overuse the footy and draw Geelong's elite pressure and, ultimately, turn it over. And when they did find that release through the corridor, they would blaze away to space in the forward 50 for the Cats' defenders to clean up and rebound.

Tarni Evans was the shining light up forward for the Giants, with their first three of the game, and the only one in orange who looked even close to scoring or much of the afternoon.

For the last quarter Geelong ruck Piper Dunlop was rested as she manages some knee soreness following an injury earlier in the season. It meant Chantal Mason got busy in the ruck, using her power and booming boot to get the ball forward from the middle.

Despite another heavy loss, Giants coach Cam Bernasconi was pleased with the second-half fightback, and the signs internally that there is growth at play.

"You don't just go to the same part every game, same work on every week. But it's the way we educate. Like, it's getting the players to take ownership, and when we speak post-game, I give the floor to players and we're starting to read the game a lot faster now. Instead of me just saying what's happening, their footy IQ is growing, and I can feel their hurt. They really want to win, but they're also well aware where we are on our journey," Bernasconi said.

Geelong coach Mick Stinear, meanwhile, is hopeful that a shoulder injury to important defender Claudia Gunjaca might not be as bad as originally thought.

"We're hopeful it's going to be muscular and a really, really sore shoulder. (She) copped a strong knee, but (she'll) just go and get some scans now and eliminate anything too nasty. But we'll know more shortly, fingers crossed that it might not be as bad as we first thought," Stinear said.

Evans or bust
Not for the first time, the Giants looked impotent up forward unless the ball was in Tarni Evans' hands. A bag of three in round one set the tone, she now has 10 for the season as her side's leading goalkicker. She was the only player in attack who genuinely challenged the Cats' defence when caught in the one-on-one, and because of that, kicked the Giants' first three goals of the game. Her accurate kick and individual strength was a highlight on an otherwise drab day.

Leading goalkicker merry go round
Heading into Saturday's match, Geelong's top three all-time leading goalkickers were in the line-up: Aishling Moloney, Chloe Scheer (both on 59) and Jackie Parry (58). Within a minute, Moloney pushed ahead with the opening goal of the game, thanks to Geelong's now signature end-to-end transition, and by the 10-minute mark of the term, Parry had added two of her own. The Geelong record was passed and shared between the trio throughout the course of the match as their teammates gave them plenty of looks at the ball. By the end of the game, Moloney won the mantle of the Cats' all-time leader. Until next week, that is.

Up next
Geelong will head out west to face the Eagles at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday evening, looking to further consolidate its place in the top four, while Greater Western Sydney will enjoy its home Pride Round fixture at Henson Park against Hawthorn on Saturday afternoon.

GEELONG                                                               4.3    8.5    11.8   14.12 (96)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY             0.0    1.0    3.0   5.3 (33)

GOALS 
Geelong: Parry 4, Moloney 4, Bowen, O'Rourke, McDonald, Scheer, Crockett-Grills, Morrison
Greater Western Sydney: Evans 3, Huntington, Beeson

BEST 
Geelong: Moloney, Prespakis, Bowen, McDonald, Parry, Murray
Greater Western Sydney: Evans, Parker, Lucas-Rodd, Garnett

INJURIES 
Geelong: Dunlop (minor knee soreness), Gunjaca (left shoulder)
Greater Western Sydney: Goldsworthy (right shin)

Crowd: 2924 at GMHBA Stadium