A command performance from captain Joel Selwood and significant backing from the midfield support cast has lifted unbeaten Geelong to a 38-point victory over St Kilda in a seesawing AFL encounter at Etihad Stadium.
The result hung in the balance for the opening three quarters on Sunday, only for the Cats in run riot in the final term, booting eight goals to one in the 19.12 (126) to 13.10 (88) win.
Selwood finished with 43 possessions - more than half of which were contested - nine clearances and nine tackles, while receiving able back-up from fellow onballers Mitch Duncan, Patrick Dangerfield and George Horlin-Smith.
The Cats have had to rebuild their midfield in recent years following the retirement of multiple premiership-winning stars including Cameron Ling, Joel Corey and Jimmy Bartel and the departure to Gold Coast of Gary Ablett.
"Previously, all roads have tended to lead to Joel when we're under pressure," said Geelong coach Chris Scott.
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"Now we feel like we've got other options and he's confident he can spend more time forward without it hurting the team too much around the ball.
"His game today was just spectacular.
"Especially when we were being outplayed, he was the one who more than any other on the ground took the game away from the opposition."
St Kilda coach Alan Richardson was unhappy with the way his midfield dropped off when the match was up for grabs.
"The last quarter was really disappointing," he said.
"To get outworked, to be physically outplayed as significantly as we were through the midfield was disappointing.
"From a games-played perspective, we need to be getting to that stage where those guys in there stand up and have a bigger influence.
"We were up against some quality players, but we've been up against that sort of quality before the last couple of times we've played them and been able to stand up for longer."
The Cats' plan to convert star backman Harry Taylor into a key forward remains very much a work on progress, although he did at least kick his first goal of the season before being moved into defence late in the game
Tom Hawkins was well held by former Collingwood fullback Nathan Brown.
But the big Cat did manage two goals in the dying minutes to take his season's tally to 18.
Small forward Darren Minchington kicked a game-high three goals for the Saints, equalling his career-best haul set against the same opposition.
St Kilda's better players included Jack Steven, Seb Ross and tackling machine Jack Steele.
The Saints' win-loss record slipped to 2-3 ahead of an important clash against Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday.
Geelong's next match is against Collingwood at the MCG.
