Anyone who believes Geelong is not the team to beat this year needs to think again after the Cats demolished Brisbane by 93 points at Skilled Stadium on Sunday.

Despite gale force winds and at times sheeting rain, the Cats, with Cameron Mooney and Gary Ablett running amok, produced some irresistible football to win 18.18 (126) to 5.3 (33).

The Cats' football masterclass was a timely reminder to pundits seduced by St Kilda, who were excellent on Friday night, that the competition's dominant team of the past two years still deserve top billing.

So dominant were the Cats, whose second quarter was exceptional, they had the match in their keeping before half time when they led by 65 points.

The gulf between the two sides was enormous. The Cats had 75 entries inside 50 to the Lions' 30, 233 more possessions, and kept their opponent to only eight scoring shots.

After amassing 46 touches last week in arguably the best game of his career, Ablett gathered another 42 disposals against the Lions.

There was little Ablett could not do. He defied a howling gale to kick one of the goals of the day on the run from 40 out on the boundary line in the last quarter.

He left the field briefly in the first quarter holding his left wrist but until leather poisoning becomes deadly there appears no stopping the Cats dynamo.

Mooney was almost as hard to stop. Not by coincidence, the Cats were at their best in the second quarter when Mooney featured in nearly every foray on goal.

When not marking strongly on the lead and kicking goals himself, he brought team-mates into the game with his unselfish play.

He finished the game with 22 touches, 10 marks, three goals and eight scoring assists.

The Cats, thanks to a midfield which made Brisbane appear out of its depth, could do no wrong in the first half.

Max Rooke, revered for his courage but not so his skill level, produced a Daicos-like gem in the second term, dribbling one through from an impossible angle.

The only knock against the Cats would be their lairising once the game was won.

A lazy kick from Matthew Scarlett, who otherwise made few mistakes in eclipsing Daniel Bradshaw, cost his team a goal, while Mooney's attempted left-foot volley in the last term showed little respect for the Lions.

As diabolical as the scoreboard appeared for the Lions, the loss was not from a lack of effort.

Put simply, they were outplayed by an adversary in another league.

Joel Patfull was perhaps his team's only winner on the ground, restricting Steve Johnson to just 12 touches and a goal.

Youngster Daniel Rich also emerged with his reputation intact.

Although his possession count of 12 was modest, Rich attacked contests with vigour and even managed to leave the rugged Rooke winded from a heavy clash.

Captain Jonathan Brown, despite being double and triple-teamed on many occasions, played with typical honesty and aggression.

He kicked three of his team's five goals but was done little favours by his team-mates in the middle.

GEELONG: 5.4, 13.8, 15.11, 18.18 (126)
BRISBANE: 0.2, 3.3, 4.3, 5.3 (33)

GOALS: Geelong: Hawkins 3, Mooney 3, Stokes 3, Ablett 2, Byrnes 2, Rooke 2, Bartel, S.Johnson, Varcoe
Brisbane: Brown 3, Rich, Sherman
BEST: Geelong: Ablett, Mooney, Chapman, Scarlett, Selwood, Bartel
Brisbane: Patfull, Brown, Rich
INJURIES: Geelong: Nil
Brisbane: Dalziell (knee)
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: McBurney, Kamolins, Findlay
CROWD: 15,580 at Skilled Stadium