GEELONG, the Brisbane Lions’ Round 22 conqueror, will shorten its already short price for the premiership after annihilating the Kangaroos in Sunday’s first qualifying final.

The Cats put the seal on an enthralling first weekend of the 2007 finals by thumping the Roos by 106 points in front of more than 77,000 fans at the MCG.

Talk of a first Cats premiership since 1963 will only get stronger, with Geelong completely dominating the final three quarters and having 41 scoring shots to the Kangaroos’ 10.

Mark Thompson’s side will now have a week off before meeting the winner of Friday night’s semi-final between West Coast and Collingwood.

Collingwood advanced to the second week of the finals by a convincing 38 points over Sydney, and an undermanned West Coast Eagles fought hard but couldn’t get across the line against Port Adelaide, going down by three points.

Next weekend’s other semi will pit the Roos against Hawthorn, which snatched a dramatic three-point win against Adelaide via Lance “Buddy” Franklin’s 50m set shot with only seven seconds to play.

Franklin’s match-winning effort capped a brilliant seven-goal display that makes him a frontrunner for performance of the week.

The 20-year-old provided the Hawks with an answer every time the Crows looked set to take control of the game.

When Adelaide skipped 31 points clear in the second term, Franklin kicked three goals in five minutes to halt the momentum. And his three final-quarter goals proved decisive.

Geelong’s Brownlow Medal favourite, Gary Ablett (32 disposals, two goals), and Port Adelaide’s Peter Burgoyne (29 possessions) were also in prime September form.

Port Adelaide 9.14 (68) d West Coast 9.11 (65)
The short-staffed Eagles led by as much as 24 points during the third quarter but just couldn’t hold off a Port Adelaide side that can now look forward to a week’s rest. With Peter Burgoyne irrepressible, the Power grabbed the lead early in the final term and then kept a brave West Coast at bay. The Eagles, already without Daniel Kerr and with Chris Judd below full fitness, won’t have former captain Ben Cousins on board for this week’s clash with Collingwood. The 2005 Brownlow Medallist tore a hamstring during the third quarter of Friday night’s match.

Hawthorn 15.15 (105) d Adelaide 15.12 (102)
In one of the matches of the season, Lance Franklin snatched victory for Hawthorn just when it appeared Adelaide and retiring skipper Mark Ricciuto would play on into the second weekend of the finals. Jason Torney’s stunning 50m goal on the run put the Crows up with only minutes to play and Jarryd Roughead’s missed set shot at the other end looked set to prove costly. But Franklin got on the end of a Rick Ladson pass and then kicked truly from 50m with only seven seconds left – to give Hawthorn the win and a semi-final date with the Kangaroos.

Collingwood 18.17 (125) d Sydney Swans 13.9 (87)
The Magpies put last year’s early finals exit behind them, ending Sydney’s charmed September run in the process. Collingwood started with a six-goals-to-one first quarter, withstood a mid-game Swans charge and then kicked clear on the back of Anthony Rocca’s polished forward play. Rocca kicked 6.0, combining with fellow big forwards Sean Rusling and Travis Cloke to provide 12 of the Magpies’ 18 goals.

Geelong 23.18 (156) d Kangaroos 8.2 (50)
The Cats delivered one of the most dominant finals performances in recent history as they destroyed the Roos and advanced to a preliminary final, further boosting hopes of a first premiership in 44 years. The Kangaroos actually led 18-12 at one stage of the opening term, but that was as good as it got for Dean Laidley’s side —Geelong then piled on goals from everywhere and everyone. Cam Mooney and Paul Chapman kicked five apiece to top a Cats scoring list that featured six multiple goalkickers.

The views in this story are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.