Geelong has emphatically put its leanest fortnight in two-and-a-half seasons behind it with a comprehensive 46-point victory over Melbourne at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.

The Cats set-up their 17.15 (117) to 11.5 (71) win with a dominant seven-goal-to-none opening-term burst which handed them a 44-point quarter-time lead.

The Cats welcomed back Gary Ablett, Matthew Scarlett, Andrew Mackie, Travis Varcoe, Cameron Ling and Darren Milburn this week and after a poor performance against Brisbane last week, each one reaffirmed how important they are.

Ablett collected 40 touches and kicked 2.3, Scarlett (30 disposals) blitzed Melbourne forward Russell Robertson, Ling restricted Brock McLean to just seven possessions, Varcoe was dangerous around goals, while Mackie and Milburn were excellent in defence.

But Joel Selwood rose above them to be instrumental in the first half in setting up the Cats win and was the most damaging player on the ground with 31 touches, nine tackles and five clearances.

The Demons were completely overwhelmed in the first 30 minutes, as Geelong, aided by a strong breeze to the Doug Wade Stand end, pumped the ball into its forward 50 on 20 occasions while Melbourne could only do so five times in the same period.

It was a fantastic defensive performance by the Cats as Scarlett, playing mostly loose, and Darren Milburn combined for 19 touches in the first stanza, Corey Enright nullified Aaron Davey and Harry Taylor even managed to sneak forward to kick his fourth career goal.

But as well served as Geelong was by its backline, it had its fair share of midfield winners too.

Selwood had eight touches, four tackles and three clearances in the first term while Paul Chapman and David Wojcinski played pivotal roles in the Cats' sheer dominance of the middle of the ground before the first change.

But Melbourne came out in the second quarter and fought back well to kick three goals in a row.

It got on top in the middle of the ground, thanks largely to Ricky Petterd and James McDonald, and dominated general play for a substantial period.

But the Demons couldn't translate their brief purple patch on to the scoreboard and goals to Ablett and Mackie just before half-time cancelled out Melbourne's encouraging efforts.

To Melbourne's credit it won the second half but Geelong's poor kicking for goal saved the Demons from a heavier defeat.

The Demons held their own around the stoppages but were let down badly by some woeful skill errors, particularly in defence