THESE days, the Cats are like a plane on auto-pilot when they play at home.

Despite being without star midfielder Paul Chapman (groin), they were rarely troubled on Saturday as they made it 26 consecutive victories at Skilled Stadium with a 61-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs.

Brad Ottens led the way with five goals (it was the first time he'd kicked five goals in a game since he was playing for Richmond in 2001), while Steve Johnson was sensational in the middle of the ground and up forward, as Geelong won 23.10 (148) to 13.9 (87).

Johnson finished the match with 27 possessions and two goals.

Onballers Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey and Cameron Ling also put their stamp on the contest, their efforts ensuring the Cats remain unbeaten.

Nathan Vardy was another impressive contributor with the 19-year-old ruckman/forward having the crowd in raptures twice during the first half.

In the opening quarter he took a towering mark in front of the 'Jack' Jennings Stand, then in the second term he snapped a great goal while being dragged to ground by his out-of-form opponent Brian Lake.

The second eye-catching effort from Vardy came amid the Cats' eight-goal run either side of the long break, during which they grabbed complete control of the game.

Geelong dominated until deep into the final quarter, twice opening a 74-point lead. The Cats have now won seven of their past eight encounters with the Bulldogs.

While Chris Scott's men are sitting pretty on top of the ladder, the Dogs are in disarray.

With only three wins from 10 games, Rodney Eade's struggling side is all but certain to miss the finals for the first time since 2005.

Ruckman Will Minson (19 possessions and 17 hit-outs) and forward Daniel Giansiracusa (five goals) were the best performers for the Bulldogs, who went into the game without injured stars Barry Hall and Adam Cooney.

Lake was tried at both ends of the ground, and although he bagged three last-quarter goals, he looked disinterested for most of the afternoon.

Robert Murphy, Shaun Higgins and Tom Williams were also shuffled from attack to defence with little effect.

Another record
Geelong's 10th win from as many starts this year means Chris Scott has equalled Johnny Leonard's record for most consecutive wins at the beginning of a coaching career. Leonard set the mark when he led South Melbourne to 10 straight victories at the start of the 1932 season.

Magic moment
With his team doing as it pleased, Scott was able to experiment to such an extent that he moved champion defender Matthew Scarlett to full-forward during the latter stages of the final quarter. Scarlett responded by taking a great pack mark in the goal-square, which triggered a raucous response from the crowd. And the response was even louder when he put through just the 17th goal of his brilliant career.

Not so magic moment
Unbeaten at Skilled Stadium since August 2007, the Cats' default setting is to play like millionaires at their home ground. In the final minute of the first quarter, however, they decided it was time to step it up and play like billionaires. It happened thus: James Podsiadly marked the ball only 15m out from goal, but rather than going back and kicking the goal, he handballed to Steve Johnson, despite the fact Stevie J had Bulldogs defenders all around him. Johnson promptly ran into trouble, then dished off a handball to Dan Menzel. The youngster tried to snap a goal off one step, but instead he fell over and dropped the Sherrin as the siren sounded.

Stats that matter
The Cats had lost the contested-possession count its their previous three games against Gold Coast, Carlton and Collingwood. But against the Bulldogs they were back to their hard-at-it best, winning the count 144 to 125.

Last man standing
Veteran defender Darren Milburn was the only player who had lined up in all of Geelong's 25 consecutive victories at Skilled Stadium. However, Milburn's personal winning streak came to an end when he withdrew from the Cats' team on the morning of the game. On a similar note, Geelong's win means another backman, Harry Taylor, still hasn't been part of a loss at Skilled Stadium (he has played in 22 wins at the venue).

The Next Four
Geelong: Hawthorn (MCG), St Kilda (MCG), Adelaide Crows (Skilled Stadium), Essendon (Etihad Stadium)

Western Bulldogs: St Kilda (Etihad Stadium), Adelaide Crows (Etihad Stadium), Gold Coast Suns (Metricon Stadium), Melbourne (Etihad Stadium)

What the coaches said
Chris Scott (Geelong)
"I think it's the most complete performance we've put together [this season]. Our tall forwards have been questioned a little bit. We obviously got a good return from them today, but we probably helped them a little bit more as well - took the ball forward a little bit quicker."

Rodney Eade (Western Bulldogs)
"I didn't think we worked hard enough at times. I think their (Geelong's) ability to pick options and make good decisions under pressure was outstanding, and obviously with young players we struggle with that. That is what we have got to aim for."

Dream Team highlight
Geelong: Brad Ottens ($287,200) scored 107 kicking five goals while top scorer was Steve Johnson ($417,300) with 139 points.

Western Bulldogs: Daniel Giansiracusa ($323,900) scored 126 points to be the Bulldogs best player.

First Quarter

The Western Bulldogs kicked the first two goals of the game through Daniel Giansiracusa before Geelong got on the board at the seven-minute mark with a goal to James Podsiadly. The Cats dominated for the rest of the quarter, attacking the goal square with long kicks, using their marking power to worry the Bulldogs. They kicked 4.6 (30) before Justin Sherman kicked a long goal to keep the Bulldogs in touch. Matthew Scarlett was playing loose in defence and was able to sweep up on the rare occasions the Bulldogs went forward (inside 50s were 20 to 9 in the Cats' favour) while Steve Johnson's good form continued. By siren time, Brad Ottens and James Podsiadly had kicked two goals each.

Geelong 5.6 (36) v Western Bulldogs 3.1 (19)

Second Quarter

The game became an arm wrestle early in the quarter with the Bulldogs hanging in the game due to the hard work of senior players such as Daniel Giansiracusa, Robert Murphy, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross. However, Geelong looked in command moving the ball more efficiently and hitting targets inside their forward 50. A Bulldogs attacking move was cut off by Matthew Scarlett and the resulting goal to the Cats made the margin 24 points. From that point on it was one-way traffic with Geelong kicking five goals from the 21-minute mark and the final six goals of the quarter to make their lead at half-time 50 points.

Geelong 13.8 (86) v Western Bulldogs 5.6 (36)

Third Quarter

With the fire out of the game and the Cats dominating, the third quarter was a ho-hum affair. The Cats kept attacking with long kicks deep inside 50 but they did not get the returns they may have expected, having kicked just four goals, one behind for the quarter.  Josh Hunt and Matthew Scarlett were defending with ease pressing up across the midfield and pumping the ball back inside 50. Ryan Griffen kicked the only goal for the Bulldogs when an errant Cameron Ling handball landed in his hands inside 50. It was the only time for the quarter they looked like scoring.  

Geelong 17.9 (111) v Western Bulldogs 6.6 (42)

Fourth Quarter

A predictable start to the final quarter with Geelong's Mitch Duncan getting on the end of a chain of handballs to kick a long goal on the run from the 50 metre mark. Brian Lake had been pushed forward in the third quarter and finally got on the board with two goals coming after he outpaced the Cats' defender on the lead. The Bulldogs were trying to switch things around, pushing Robert Murphy back after spending the third quarter forward and alternating with Shaun Higgins but nothing much worked. Higgins kicked a goal near the end. Matthew Scarlett kicked a goal and was mobbed. It was the champion full-back's 17th career goal. In 2002, he kicked two goals against the Bulldogs at Skilled Stadium. Daniel Giansiracusa kicked his fifth and Lake his third for the quarter as the sting went out of the game.

Geelong 23.10 (148) v Western Bulldogs 13.9 (87)

Match details

Geelong                    5.6 13.8 17.9 23.10 (148)
Western Bulldogs    3.1 5.6 6.6 13.9 (87)

GOALS
Geelong: Ottens 5, Podsiadly 3, Johnson 2, Selwood 2, Menzel 2, Stokes 2, Duncan 2, Bartel, Vardy, Ling, Scarlett, Varcoe
Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa 5, Lake 3, Higgins 2, Griffen 2, Sherman

BEST
Geelong: Johnson, Scarlett, Bartel, Ottens, Corey,
Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa, Minson, Morris, Picken, Ward.

INJURIES
Geelong: None
Western Bulldogs: None

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: James Kelly replaced by Travis Varcoe in thr third quarter
Western Bulldogs: Jarrad Grant replaced by Nathan Djerrkura in the third quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Hay, Ryan, McInerney

Official crowd: 25, 078 at Skilled Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs