Geelong coach Chris Scott has praised the midfield group which lifted late in the second quarter to open up a buffer on West Coast Eagles.
After a tight first half, the flood-gates opened after half-time, with the Cats coasting to a 46-point win.
Bailey Smith had a record number of inside 50s with 15, with the inclusion of James Worpel freeing him, Max Holmes and Gryan Miers to play roles more accustomed to their high-speed running.
“He's going well. His running power as much as anything is helping us. He's a strong player too. He relished the in-tight contest work early in the game,” Scott said.
“I think he's got immense running power and that's been a change to our team in the last couple of years. Him and (Max) Holmes and (Gryan) Miers breaking out into space gave us some good looks.
“He's hard on himself, Bailey. I don't think he's sitting back thinking he had the perfect game by any stretch but he was obviously very influential.”
Worpel had 20 disposals, five tackles and a goal and while the team's execution throughout was far from perfect, by Scott's admission, he was a big reason they got on top of contest and clearance for long enough to win comfortably.
“We brought him in for a specific reason, we saw it today. He's really good in tight,” Scott said.
“The venue suited his strengths and will give us the option of playing our hard running players outside the contest.”
Scott also confirmed it was “very likely” Patrick Dangerfield would play against Western Bulldogs, while Tyson Stengle is more likely to get minutes in the VFL before an AFL return.
