GEELONG has flexed its muscle in a powerful second half against West Coast, further cementing itself as a serious premiership contender with a 53-point win at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday. 

Undefeated since round one, the Cats booted six unanswered goals after the main break against an out of sorts Eagles team, winning 8.18 (66) to 1.7 (13) as the Eagles went goalless until the final three minutes of the game in a disappointing performance.   

West Coast missed spearhead Amy Franklin and could not connect in attack, with Charlie Thomas (26 and five tackles), Emma Swanson (18 and four marks) and Ella Roberts (18 and five clearances) fighting hard on a disappointing day. 

The final margin reflected the Eagles' biggest loss of the season, and their second heaviest defeat in coach Daisy Pearce's three seasons, dealing a significant blow to the club's finals hopes after a recent four-match winning streak had ignited their chances. 

The home team looked like going goalless in an AFLW match for just the second time in their history, but there was a scramble deep inside 50 before co-captain Bella Lewis slotted her team's only goal of the game in the final minutes. 

The Cats got better as every quarter went by and would have won by more if not for some inaccurate kicking through the middle stages, with star midfielder Georgie Prespakis outstanding with 39 disposals and 13 score involvements. 

Nina Morrison (27 and eight tackles) and former Eagle Mikayla Bowen (27 and eight) did a power of grunt work in the middle, while the Cats spread their eight goals between eight players in a deep and even team performance. 

By the final siren, they had dominated disposals (326-212), inside 50s (41-23), marks (78-48) and marks inside 50 (16-3), with their outside game too slick for the Eagles to contain. 

Containing Geelong's scoring power needed to be a focus for the Eagles after the Cats booted 14 goals in powerful 63-point win against Greater Western Sydney last week, and they started well on that measure. 

The home team maintained possession well and played the better football for the opening 10 minutes, but fell down in the front half and didn't capitalise on their opportunities. 

Geelong got its game going as quarter-time approached and punished a West Coast turnover on the wing in the final minutes to kick the opening goal of the game through Aishling Moloney. 

Poor decisions and skill errors continued to plague the Eagles in the second quarter when they had opportunities to go forward, and they entered half-time goalless for the first time this season. 

The Cats, meanwhile, added a second when Bryde O'Rourke found space inside 50 and converted with class on the run from a tricky angle, giving the Cats a 15-point lead at half-time.

A premiership challenger, the Cats made their big move in the premiership quarter, booting three unanswered goals and ramping up their ball movement with some slick chains through the corridor. 

When Morrison slotted a set shot deep in the quarter, the Cats had a 34-point lead and would not be caught, adding three more in the last to celebrate their ninth straight win. 

WEST COAST                    0.3   0.5   0.7   1.7 (13)
GEELONG                         1.3   2.8   5.12   8.18 (66)    

GOALS
West Coast: Lewis 
Geelong: Moloney, O'Rourke, Surman, Stewart, Parry, Morrison, Mason, Kearns 

BEST 
West Coast: Thomas, Roberts, Gibson, Swanson 
Geelong: Prespakis, Morrison, Bowen, Kearns, Mason, McDonald

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil 
Geelong: Nil 

LATE CHANGES 
West Coast: Beth Schilling (illness) replaced in the selected team by Georgie Cleaver  
Geelong: Nil 

Crowd: 2,234 at Sullivan Logistics Stadium