Essendon was given a cruel lesson as to where it stands in the AFL pecking order as reigning premier Geelong showed off the full might of its amazing array of skills in destroying the Bombers at Telstra Dome on Sunday.

The Cats recorded their 21st win in their past 22 matches, winning 22.18 (150) to 6.15 (51) and it hardly bears thinking about just what Mark Thompson's all-conquering team will do to a Melbourne side that has already lost its first two games by a total of 199 points at Geelong next week on a day when the Cats will unfurl their 2007 premiership flag.

The Bombers had gone into this game on a high after an impressive pre-season and a nine goal first-up win over last year's preliminary finalists North Melbourne.

Buoyed by a new found sense of optimism in a season which was supposed to yield doom and gloom - following the retirement of James Hird and the end of coach Kevin Sheedy's 27 year reign - most of the 50,000 strong crowd at Telstra Dome on Sunday were anticipating the Bombers taking it right up to the Cats.

Instead what they got was a 'Harlem Globetrotters' type display from the reigning premiers.

The Bombers appeared competitive in the first term yet already trailed by 20 points at quarter-time before the Cats ended the match as a contest with four goals in the first six minutes of the second term.

Such was the Cats' dominance during this period they wracked up 20 kicks to four and 22 marks to five as the young Bombers were brutally pushed off the ball at will.

By the third term the Cats were taking the 'mickey' out of the outclassed Bombers with Jimmy Bartel virtually having time to stop to a walk before lining up and goaling on the run from 50 metres in acres of space before Cam Mooney ran into an open goal moments later after the Cats had feasted on yet another Essendon turnover.

Yet again it was the Cats' champion midfield which caused the damage with Gary Ablett, Joel Corey and Bartel all unstoppable while Cameron Ling and Joel Selwood never stopped harassing the Bombers, which caused their game-plan to disintegrate.

And while Mooney and Tom Hawkins struggled to escape the close-checking of Paddy Ryder and Dustin Fletcher respectively it scarcely mattered as the Cats had 14 individual goalkickers while at the other end Essendon skipper Matthew Lloyd was so badly beaten by Matthew Scarlett that Bombers' fans gave him the bronx cheers when he finally took a mark in the third term.

GEELONG: 4.4, 11.9, 17.13, 22.18 (150)
ESSENDON: 1.2. 3.6, 4.10, 6.15 (51)

GOALS: Geelong: Gamble 3, Blake 2, Stokes 2, Bartel 2, Corey 2, Mooney 2, Ablett 2, Selwood, West, Wojcinski, Enright, Ling, Kelly, S Johnson
Essendon: Houli, Stanton, Davey, McPhee, Hille, Laycock
BEST: Geelong: Bartel, Ablett, Corey, Selwood, Scarlett, Ling, Stokes, Chapman, Milburn, Enright, Kelly
Essendon: Fletcher, Ryder, Hille, Stanton
INJURIES: Geelong: Nil
Essendon: Dempsey (hamstring)
UMPIRES: Donlon, Kennedy, Chamberlain
REPORTS: Nil
CHANGES: Nil
CROWD: 50,636 at Telstra Dome

Sportal AFL Player of the Year votes:
3 – Jimmy Bartel (Geelong)
2 – Gary Ablett (Geelong)
1 – Joel Selwood (Geelong)