Geelong has booked its place in the 2024 AFL preliminary finals after humiliating Port Adelaide on their home deck by 84 points.
The Power will now return to Adelaide Oval next week, potentially without star midfielder Zak Butters, to face the winner of Friday night's clash between Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs. The Cats will enjoy the week off before hosting one of Sydney, GWS, Brisbane, or Carlton at the MCG for a place in the Grand Final.
Here's three things we learned from this game:
Mentally weak Port Adelaide can no longer win the premiership
It's easy to be labelled a prisoner of the moment when making grandiose claims after a shock result, but Thursday night's stunning qualifying final revealed so much more about the Power than it did the Cats. Port simply cannot be premiers in 2024.
Port Adelaide had a clear cut path to the Grand Final. Beat Geelong at home, a game they started significant favourites in, and then return to Adelaide Oval two weeks later in search for a spot in the last game of the season. But that plan was all but scuppered barely five minutes into the second half as the Cats took charge and began slotting goal after goal with little resistance.
The most worrying sign was the ease with which the Power players appeared to give up and throw in the towel. This wasn't your off Sunday afternoon in June, this was a home qualifying final, and yet they looked lifeless and void of any answers as the Cats ran up the score. It was an embarrassing display; not hyperbole to call it the most pathetic of the Ken Hinkley era.
Port had few winners on the night. As a team, they were beaten up all over the ground, finishing -79 in disposals, -74 in uncontested possession, -27 in marks, -15 in marks inside 50, and -20 in shots at goal. Had the Cats kicked accurately, it could easily have been a triple-figure margin.
The path the Power now need to navigate if they are to taste premiership glory is far more treacherous. They will now host the winner of Friday night's elimination final between Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs, perhaps the two most in-form sides in the competition. If they pass that test, they would have to win a preliminary final in Sydney, and that's just to make the Grand Final.
Making matters worse, star midfielder Zak Butters suffered a rib injury just before half time and was subbed out of the contest. It's unclear if he will be fit come next week.
Geelong's X-factors could take them to another premiership
X-factors. They just know how to win you games, especially finals. The Cats have four legitimate X-factors that can make or break their September campaign. On Thursday night, Patrick Dangerfield, Max Holmes, Tyson Stengle, and Gryan Miers each played a pivotal role in Geelong's thrashing of the Power.
Dangerfield may be 34 years of age and eight years removed from winning his Brownlow Medal, but the Cats skipper still has the ability to impact a game of football more than just about anyone else in the league. I view him as an X-factor at this stage of his career because we no longer get the guaranteed herculean performance each week, but on any given day he can still look like a top 10 player in the league.
Dangerfield was used in bursts against the Power, playing just 68% of the game but stamping himself on it every time he rolled through the midfield. He tallied 24 disposals, 12 score involvements, four clearances, and eight inside 50s, playing with the type of hunger and aggression that was painfully absent from Port's perspective.
On the outside, Holmes ran in straight lines all night, using his speed and precise ball movement to set up attacking thrusts. He finished the game with more disposals (28) and metres gained (668) than anyone else on the ground and used the ball at 86% efficiency.
And then there's the attacking duo of Tyson Stengle and Gryan Miers. The pair combined for seven goals and 14 score involvements, and that was with Miers being rested in the final term. Both have proven over the last 24 months they are capable of playing match winning performances for the Cats. On Thursday night, they both did it in the same game.
You feel if three of these four fire in Geelong's preliminary final, they might just be back playing in another Grand Final.
Chris Scott is without peer in the current coaching ranks
The Cats weren't given much of a shot to win this game. You could make a serious case the four best midfielders all played for Port, and history tells us the middle of the ground is where finals are won and lost. The bookies had the Power as a significant favourite, and there wouldn't have been many brave enough to actually tip a Geelong upset, forget a margin.
Chris Scott took little notice of it all; not even the late, crucial out of Tom Stewart could distract his side from the task at hand. He had his team ready to play from the first bounce, a stark contrast to the fumbly and error-riddled Power that spluttered through the first term and appeared anything but a side that had won eight of its past nine outings.
It's no secret Port love to attack through the corridor, and Scott ensured that avenue to goal was cut off throughout the night. He congested the middle of the ground and had his troops spreading hard toward the boundary when the ball was turned over. His Cats controlled possession and struck the perfect balance between moving the ball methodically and frenetically. It was a tactical masterclass.
"Really proud of our guys, the way they attacked the week," Dangerfield told Seven. "We had a really clear game plan. If you give our coaches a couple of weeks ... we were pretty confident."
Scott now sits just two finals wins behind Alastair Clarkson for the most in the last quarter century. But of the 43 coaches to have won at least 100 games in league history, none boast a better overall winning percentage than Scott at 68.22%. What's most incredible is he's maintained that extraordinarily high bar despite staggering list turnover over the last few seasons.
One more win would have Scott in his fourth Grand Final, tied with John Longmire on four and only trailing Clarkson (5) among current coaches. Two more wins and it's three premierships as a coach to go alongside his two as a player. It's shaping as a unique footballing resume.