Captain’s game

Six goals straight in a do-or-die final against the reigning premiers at the MCG, including three in the first term when Freo made its move. Need we say more?

"Matthew Pavlich you star"

Defence does the job

Without All Australian full-back candidate Luke McPharlin, many wondered how Freo could stop a Geelong forward line that ranked first in the AFL for marks taken inside 50. Zac Dawson stepped up against Tom Hawkins, who takes 25 per cent of those marks, and held him goalless. He had help from Adam McPhee, who played one of the best games of his career. Alex Silvagni also slotted in seamlessly into a backline that is forging a reputation as one of the most ruthless in the league.

That first quarter

The sight of Geelong players pointing fingers after the quarter-time siren said it all. Freo had waltzed onto the MCG and completely outplayed one of the greatest teams of all time on a stage it had made its own.

No room to rebound

Geelong, particularly over the past six weeks, had been transferring the ball from defence into attack at an incredibly successful rate. On Saturday night, from the very first bounce, the pressure Freo applied was phenomena. The Cats’ vaunted rebounding defenders and classy midfielders must have felt like the game was being played in a phone box.

Crowley to... Kelly

Without Steve Johnson in the line-up, most expected Freo tagger Ryan Crowley to play on Cats captain Joel Selwood. Ross Lyon had other ideas, sending his stopper to James Kelly, who has been at the forefront of Geelong’s revival this season. Crowley did the job again, holding Kelly to 15 touches, 10 less than his average this season.