Patrick Dangerfield has torched his old team as unbeaten Geelong held off a fast-finishing Adelaide for a gutsy 24-point AFL win on Thursday night.
Dangerfield was a standout with 32 disposals in the Cats' 14.15 (99) to 10.15 (75) triumph at Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide's defeat was further soured by winger Paul Seedsman's suspected season-ending knee injury in the last quarter.
Geelong's third consecutive victory featured a commanding start - with Dangerfield rampant, the visitors took a 23-point lead into half-time.
And despite a third-term scare, the Cats prevailed with newcomer Gryan Miers kicking three goals.
Miers kicked two second-term goals and fellow novices Jordan Clark, Charlie Constable and Tom Atkins all scored in a dominant opening half by Geelong.
But the Crows rallied, with co-captain Rory Sloane and Brad Crouch leading a third-term revival - when teammate Tom Lynch goaled after the three-quarter time siren, Adelaide trailed by just three points.
The Crows snuck within two when a Rory Atkins shot hit the post early in the final quarter - it was the closest they got as Geelong, despite their five-day break between games, finished with a flourish.
"We had a number of alibis ... we could have rolled over," Cats coach Chris Scott said.
"Across the board, we really stood up in the big moments."
Dangerfield, who played 154 games for the Crows before leaving at the end of 2015, finished with a dozen inside 50s and 10 clearances.
Onballers Tim Kelly (24 disposals), Constable (24 touches and Sam Menegola (23 possessions) were prominent while Mark Blicavs (22 touches) and Harry Taylor ruled in defence.
Blicavs and Taylor kept Adelaide's key forwards Josh Jenkins and Taylor Walker to one major apiece and Eddie Betts was goal-less.
"We weren't good enough for long enough," said Crows coach Don Pyke, who confirmed winger Seedsman is understood to have torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"We will get the scans but he's very shattered, as you could imagine."
Adelaide midfielder Brad Crouch (35 disposals, one goal) was superb and his brother Matt (27 disposals, one goal) Rory Sloane (26 possessions, one goal) battled gamely.
But only Lynch (two goals, 25 touches) could find forward-line space."
