Brisbane kicked eight goals to one in the opening term and held on to beat Geelong 19.9 (123) to 14.17 (101) at GMHBA Stadium on Thursday night, a 22-point win that opened Round 17.
The Lions led by 37 points at quarter-time and looked set to run away with it. Geelong had other ideas. The Cats cut the margin to seven by half-time and stayed within reach into the third quarter before Brisbane steadied and pulled clear again.
Kai Lohmann kicked five goals for Brisbane, and Lachie Neale and Will Ashcroft were busy through the middle. Geelong actually had more scoring shots, 31 to 28, but kicked 14.17 to Brisbane's 19.9. The 17 behinds told the story. Patrick Dangerfield was the Cats' best with five goals of his own.
A crowd of 26,757 watched at Geelong. The result matters to both sides' Septembers. Brisbane and Geelong had gone into the round among five teams level on 36 points, separated only by percentage, in the chase behind Fremantle and Sydney at the top of the ladder.
The win lifts Brisbane clear of that group, at least until the rest of Round 17 is played, and drops Geelong a place. Both remain inside the eight, with the home-and-away season entering its final stretch and a top-four finish still in reach for either.
