Veteran Geelong player Patrick Dangerfield led his team to an 11-point victory over Fremantle and opened the door to the AFL top two with a dominant performance that included an unexpected blooper.
Geelong secured the 10.13 (73) to 9.8 (62) victory in the last quarter of Saturday’s encounter at Optus Stadium, marking Jeremy Cameron’s 250th game.
The Cats (14-7) are now only a percentage out of second place on the table after the victory moved them over Brisbane.
With matches remaining against West Coast and St Kilda, two struggling teams, Geelong is well-positioned to finish second in the standings and guarantee a spot in the top four.
Fremantle (12-8-1) might place as low as seventh at the end of the round.
Dangerfield contributed 20 disposals, 11 clearances, and a goal, which was significant for Geelong.
But he also committed arguably the biggest blooper of his glittering 333-game career when the game was on the line in the dying minutes.
With Geelong leading by just three points, Dangerfield sprinted forward to run on to a bouncing ball at the top of the goalsquare.
But instead of gathering the ball to run in for an easy goal, he unleashed a volley that missed.
So what was going through Geelong coach Chris Scott’s mind in that moment?
“The same thing that every armchair expert with the benefit of watching the game from a bar … yeah if he grabbed it and kicked it, it would have helped,” Scott said.
“But he’s got a fair few credits in the bank.”
Dangerfield’s miss mattered not, with Shaun Mannagh kicking the winning goal a short time later to seal a crucial victory.
