Carlton's Charlie Curnow has kicked five goals and Geelong's Jeremy Cameron six in an AFL shootout as the Blues hung on to beat the Cats by eight points.
Geelong have emphatically silenced critics who doubted their ageing list would win a premiership, thrashing Sydney by 81 points in the AFL grand final.
Many footy fans were left disappointed by a decision to turn the AFL grand final flotilla around before it reached a key vantage point on the Princes Bridge.
While the AFL tries to equalise the 18-team competition, Geelong and Sydney have worked hard behind the scenes to remain in premiership contention long-term.
Geelong earned their fifth win of the AFL season, coming up with a 53-point victory in Canberra over GWS thanks to five goals from former Giant Jeremy Cameron.
GWS could enter an AFL game unchanged for the first time in four years as the resurgent Giants look to claim another scalp in beating Geelong in Canberra.
As Melbourne shrugged off a nervous start to seize control of their AFL preliminary final against Geelong, you could almost hear the collective exhale from the Demons faithful.
