EASIEST OF WINS FOR CATS OVER BULLDOGS
Ben Jensen 5 June 2011

By Ben Jensen twitter.com/thecattery GEELONG CATS V WESTERN BULLDOGS GEELONG made light work of the Western Bulldogs at a packed Skilled Stadium yesterday. Brad Ottens kicked five goals and James Podsiadly three, and importantly Nathan Vardy stepped up in place of Tom Hawkins who spent the day in the VFL side who had their first win of the season with a win over Box Hill. Ottens was the best afield but had plenty of mates, Jimmy Bartel and Steve Johnson being in our top three. For the Bulldogs Daniel Giansiracusa also kicked five goals straight while Brian Lake kicked three goals after being more than humbled in his day job as a key defender.

Cameron Ling won the toss and chose to kick to the Corio Bay end but it was the Bulldogs started off with a mini-blitz kicking to the Doug Wade Stand end, Daniel Giansiracusa booting two goals before Geelong could just about touch the ball. The Cats kicked the next four however and although wasteful with the ball, took a 17 point lead into quarter time. In the second quarter the Cats really dominated, booting a more accurate eight goals two behinds, with eight individual goal kickers including Nathan Vardy. Giansiracusa and Higgins kicked the Bulldogs' two goals.

The second half was a fairly boring affair at times. Just five goals were kicked in the third term, two of them to Joel Selwood. The Cats led by 69 points going into the final break. Geelong got off to a positive start in the final quarter, Mitch Duncan booting his second goal of the day in the first minute. Lake then kicked his first two goals, before Ottens kicked his fifth straight ten minutes in. The highlight was probably Matthew Scarlett, having been shifted to full forward, taking a bit of a hanger outside the goal square from a cheeky pass from Matthew Stokes before going back to kick his first goal in four seasons.

'Footscray' cut Geelong's lead, which at one stage was 74 points, down to a margin of 61 which in all honestly was flattering considering the general weakness displayed throughout the match. Geelong plays Hawthorn in a home game at the MCG next Saturday night, and the Bullies play St Kilda on Friday night at Etihad.

GEELONG: 5.6 13.8 17.9 23.10 (148) DEFEATED
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 3.1 5.6 6.6 13.9 (87)

GOALS
GEELONG: Ottens 5, Podsiadly 3, Menzel 2, Selwood 2, Duncan 2, Stokes 2, Johnson 2, Ling, Bartel, Scarlett, Vardy, Varcoe
WESTERN BULLDOGS:Giansiracusa 5, Lake 3, Griffen 2, Higgins 2, Sherman

BEST
GEELONG: Ottens, Bartel, Johnson, Taylor, Selwood, Scarlett, Corey, Podsiadly
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Giansiracusa, Morris, Murphy, Ward

CHANGES
GEELONG: Darren Milburn (general soreness) replaced in selected side by Mitch Duncan
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Nil

INJURIES
GEELONG: Nil
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Jarrad Grant (ribs)

REPORTS: Nil

UMPIRES: Shaun Ryan, Sam Hay, Shane McInerney
CROWD: 25,078 at Skilled Stadium, Geelong