fast start, with eight disposals in the first twelve minutes and a first quarter goal; and Geelong's Max Rooke, who took up a defensive forward role and limited Fisher's influence thereafter, was among Geelong's best and critical to its recovery. Other players among the best for Geelong were Joel Selwood (30 disposals, 6 clearances), Gary Ablett, Jr. (27 disposals, 2 goals), Paul Chapman (39 dispoals, 1 goal) and Andrew Mackie (23 disposals, 1 goal); and for St Kilda were Clinton Jones (22 disposals, limited Ablett to four disposals in the final quarter) and Brendon Goddard (24 disposals, 5 rebounds). The output of Geelong's forwards was criticised, with key forwards Tom Hawkins and Cam Mooney combining for only eight marks and two goals, compared with Justin Koschitzke and Nick Riewoldt who combined for 22 marks and five goals for St Kilda. Geelong was not helped by goalsneak Steve Johnson's late withdrawal, his absence reducing Geelong's forward line potency. St Kilda's opening five-goal assault specifically targeted and stopped Geelong's run-and-handball game with extreme pressure at the ball-carrier, causing several turnovers. Reflecting in 2019, Geelong's Cameron Ling said "that first quarter, I had never experienced speed of the game like that. You had basically zero time to get rid of the ball." However, Geelong ultimately managed to get its typical high-possession gameplan going, and finished with 40 more handpasses than kicks (187–227). Geelong had the better of the contests with a 42–37 advantage in clearances, and a 6–3 advantage in goals from stoppages. St Kilda's defensive and rebound game gave it a 10–5 advantage in goals from rebounds; and its full team defense saw it lay 84 tackles – the second-most in the club's history at that time – to Geelong's 68. Inside-50s were about equal across the game, St Kilda leading 53–51. Scoreboard Aftermath and legacy St Kilda consolidated its position at the top of the ladder with the win, and went on to extend its winning streak to a club record 19 games, before finishing the home-and-away season with a 20–2 record and the minor premiership. Geelong entered something which, by its standards at the time, was a form slump: in its last nine games of the home-and-away season (including the St Kilda game) it went 5–4, with only two of those victories coming by a margin above one goal, and the club finished second with 18–4. The two clubs then