Jeremy Cameron has booted seven goals as Geelong blitzed Port Adelaide by 70 points despite Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield being among five players suffering serious injuries.
Dangerfield, teammate Jack Bowes and Port pair Jason Horne-Francis and Lachie Jones all limped off with hamstring ailments in the Cats’ 17.13 (115) to 5.9 (39) triumph.
Power halfback Josh Sinn was also substituted due to a left hip injury in a Saturday afternoon of mayhem at Adelaide Oval.
All five players hurt were ruled out before halftime in a game broken by Geelong ace Cameron’s seven-goal haul.
Cameron dominated as the Cats booted 11 goals to one in a scoring spree stretching from late in the second term to late in the last.
The Cats improved their win-loss record to six-four while leaving the Power at a wobbly four-six.
Cameron’s scoring was complemented by two goals from Ollie Dempsey (24 disposals) and trump recruit Bailey Smith’s impact continued with 30 possessions.
Gryan Miers (27 touches), Mark O’Connor (28) and Max Holmes (22) were also instrumental in Geelong’s fifth-straight win at Adelaide Oval.
Port captain Connor Rozee was busy at halfback with a game-high 32 possessions and ex-skipper Ollie Wines (28 disposals) and Ryan Burton (26) battled against the tide.
But with tall forwards Mitch Georgiades (one goal) and Ollie Lord (none) held, only effervescent Sam Powell-Pepper (two goals, 23 disposals) provided an attacking spark.
Neither club scored for the initial dozen minutes of a first quarter marred by the spate of injuries.
Port’s Sinn was helped off after being crunched by a Mark O’Connor knee in a second-minute marking contest.
His teammate Horne-Francis limped off 18 minutes later with a right hamstring injury and the Cats substituted Jack Bowes, also due to a right hamstring complaint, around the half-hour mark.
Geelong led by three points at quarter-time but Dangerfield was added to the carnage when removed with a right hamstring injury early in the second quarter.
And 23 minutes into the term, Port backman Jones became the fourth hamstring victim when hurt in a chase.
Jones had been manning Cameron and his absence coincided with two match-turning goals from the key Cat.
Cameron’s second strike – a stunning long-range set shot from a boundary line – gave Geelong a nine-point buffer at halftime, 5.3 to 3.6 – the lowest scoring returns in a first half this season for both clubs.
The Cats then made a match-winning move with a superb third quarter, booting five goals to one for a 36-point break at three-quarter time.
Cameron stamped his authority with three consecutive goals in an eight-minute burst to open the last quarter as Port folded – the Power’s match total of 39 points is their lowest score this year.
