Oliver Dempsey, Max Holmes and Tom Stewart shine despite an umpires controversy involving Cam Rayner

(14) Connor O’Sullivan: Reliable down back. He had 10 touches and played his role. 5/10

(16) Sam De Koning: Didn’t have a massive impact, but kicked an important goal after time-on in the second quarter when the Cats really needed one. Geelong only had 4.11 on the board at that point and needed to improve their accuracy. 5.5/10

(17) Lawson Humphries: Had a steady game. He did little wrong and was consistent across the match. 5/10

(18) Tyson Stengle: Only played a supporting role, but Geelong had so many contributors. He didn’t boot a goal, which works against him on the ratings front. 6.5/10

(19) Jack Martin: Got a straightforward goal late in the third quarter as Geelong kicked away. He had 368 metres gained and played his role on a night when Geelong had contributors across the board. 6/10

(28) Oliver Dempsey: Definitely one of Geelong’s best, and BOG from my seat. He was a factor for most of the game, and scored a freakish goal just before three-quarter-time as he got his boot to ball in the goal square (check it out on replay) – his third major. He gave Geelong plenty of run and worked tirelessly across the game. 8.5/10

(30) Tom Atkins: Played a valuable game. In a match where the Cats shared the ball around, Atkins finished with 17 touches. His biggest influence? Defensive pressure. But he also laid 10 tackles – the highest for Geelong and one tackle behind Lion Josh Dunkley. 6/10

(32) Gryan Miers: Worked his way into the game and was another of Geelong’s ultra-consistent players. In an impressive team performance, Miers had 12 touches by midway through third quarter and finished with 19. 5.5/10

(33) Shannon Neale: Had little impact, but stepped up early in the last quarter to boot what was the sealing goal. At that point, Harris Andrews had the better of him. It wasn’t Neale’s match, but it was his moment, and he started to look more dangerous late. 5.5/10

(34) Oisin Mullin: Played an excellent stopping game. He was on Hugh McCluggage for most of the night. Mullin played his role really well and, in a personal highlight, kicked his first AFL goal late in the first term – a moment that sent his teammates nuts. 7/10

(35) Patrick Dangerfield: The skipper was solid and dependable. What else would you expect from a veteran star of his calibre? Dangerfield was in the game early when the match was up for grabs and ended the game with 19 possessions. 6.5/10

(38) Jack Henry: He made few mistakes and finished with 13 possessions. Geelong’s defence was outstanding, and he played his role impressively. 6/10

(39) Zach Guthrie: He gave away the second free kick in Brisbane’s infamous “double-goal” moment before half-time that sent the MCG into a frenzy. He’ll be remembered for that. Geelong’s lead was slashed to 15 points and, had the Cats not stamped their authority on the game after that, Guthrie would be a hot talking point on Saturday and beyond. He finished with 14 touches and six marks. Guthrie must be scored down for the Cam Rayner moment. 5/10

(42) Mark O’Connor: What a fascinating player to ponder. He was matched up with Rayner for the game and beat him. But O’Connor will be remembered for his role in the game’s key moment. He gave away that free kick for a push on Rayner that was part of Brisbane’s double goal that caused the ’G to erupt. O’Connor has to be downgraded for giving away the free kick. 6.5/10

(44) Tom Stewart: Super reliable as always. If Brownlow votes were being awarded, he’d be in the mix for one behind Dempsey and Holmes. In a memorable moment, Stewart booted a goal during the club’s hot streak. It brought smiles across the field. Like his teammates, he continued to improve throughout the night and finished with 22 possessions. 7.5/10

(45) Brad Close: Played a good game with plenty of run. He finished with 18 touches and was among Geelong’s top six performers in a quality finals win. 7/10

(46) Mark Blicavs: Finished well behind Darcy Fort on the hitouts count but Blicavs, as Geelong’s main ruck, was reliable. He did little wrong and clearly is a vital cog in their structure. His experience will continue to be telling throughout the finals. 7/10

Sub – (13) Jhye Clark: Came on at the 25-minute mark of the final term and picked up just the one possession. 3.5/10

BRISBANE

(1) Kai Lohmann: His wasn’t the best acting performance of the night, but definitely a supporting Oscar chance for his tumbling reaction to a soft Tom Stewart shove in the second quarter that resulted in a free kick and a goal. 5/10

(3) Jaspa Fletcher: Started well and snuck forward in the first term with a neat long-range goal. But he couldn’t hold off the Cats tsunami as the game unfolded. 5/10

(4) Callum Ah Chee: Couldn’t find the ball in the forward 50. He continually pushed up the ground to help out the backs but lacked impact. 4/10

(5) Josh Dunkley: A typical Dunkley game. He worked overtime to keep the Cats at bay in the opening half, and finished the night the Lions’ best with 30 disposals and a goal. 7/10

(6) Hugh McCluggage: Found it harder to locate the footy than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow because of the close-checking attention of Irish tagger Oisin Mullin. Awful night by his standards. 3/10

(7) Jarrod Berry: Went head-to-head with three-goal sensation Ollie Dempsey and had his colours lowered. 4/10

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(8) Will Ashcroft: Won a Norm Smith Medal the last time he played a final at the MCG but was a long way off that pace on Friday night. He might have snuck into the top 10 this time around – he was busier after half-time. 6.5/10

(9) Lachie Neale: Hobbled off late in the game with a sore calf, which is a huge worry. He had a lot of the footy, but too often he took possession in the back-half and was unable to hurt the Cats. 6.5/10

(10) Levi Ashcroft: Took a heavy nose-dive in the goal square in the opening term and came up with a face full of green surface paint. But instead of going into full Hulk mode, he went into hiding and was subbed out at the last break. 4/10

(13) Logan Morris: Could not make an impact in the air or on the ground against the superbly structured Geelong defence. He was starved of opportunities. 2/10

(14) Sam Day: Played a big hand in Charlie Cameron’s opening goal, and then joined him in the missing persons file. 2/10

(15) Dayne Zorko: Coughed up a shocker to hand Geelong their first goal. He recovered to have stacks of the ball, but so he should have, the ball lived in Geelong’s forward half. 6.5/10

(16) Cam Rayner: He deserved an Oscar for his stuntman-like fall just before half-time. As a result, was awarded two free kicks in succession for two goals. Scored a third in the third term. Otherwise, soundly beaten and terribly frustrated by Irishman Mark O’Connor. 5/10

(22) Ty Gallop: Just the third game of his career and first time at the MCG. He understandably struggled on the big occasion. Mark it down as experience. 2/10

(23) Charlie Cameron: Kicked the opening goal of the night after streaming into an open goal square, and then went missing. He had just two disposals and surely struggles to stay in the side. 1/10

(27) Darcy Gardiner: He was Chris Fagan’s “break glass in case of emergency” and was busted out in record time as Jeremy Cameron went on a rampage. He held Cameron goalless in the final three quarters. 6/10

(31) Harris Andrews: He’s a tough one to rate. He beat Shannon Neale, took eight marks, and the Lions lose by more without him. But too often Geelong played around him to negate his impact. 6/10

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(32) Darcy Fort: Had to take on the double act of Mark Blicavs and Sam De Koning, and battled away bravely. He smashed them in the hitouts 51 to a combined 38, but to what end? 6/10

(33) Zac Bailey: Thrown into the middle after the long break and bobbed up on occasions to show his class. But he needed to do more to influence the game. 5/10

(35) Ryan Lester: Suffered a severe case of Jezza-itis, lining up on Cameron at the opening bounce and copping a bath. He was moved, but did not recover. 2/10

(37) Brandon Starcevich: He was gasping for breath from the first bounce until the final siren as he tried to keep the Cats’ forwards in check. 4/10

(44) Darcy Wilmot: If he is the Brisbane barometer, then he was spinning into the red zone early. Could not get into the game often enough to set up play off half-back. 5/10

Sub – (20) Sam Marshall: Was subbed into the game at three-quarter-time and probably wished he was left on the pine. Can’t blame him for the loss. 1/10

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