Anything you can do, we can do better!
That was the message reigning AFL premier Geelong sent in emphatic terms to the only team capable of challenging it this season in Hawthorn after the Cats humiliated an outclassed St Kilda in Sunday's Second Qualifying Final at the MCG.
The 17.17 (119) to 8.13 (61) victory - which took Geelong's record to 41 wins in the past 43 matches - came two days after the second-placed Hawks had thrashed the Western Bulldogs by 51 points in the other qualifying final.
It leaves the two clubs with a week off and in separate preliminary finals in a fortnight's time as they close in on an inevitable first grand final meeting since 1989.
Any other scenario in season 2008 looks utterly out of the question as fourth-placed St Kilda's lack of class and depth was shown up by the Cats even more brutally than the third-placed Bulldogs had been exposed by the second-placed Hawks on Friday night - but at least both clubs have the chance to atone next week.
Even at quarter-time when the difference was just 18 points - that was more due to the wet weather and Geelong's inaccuracy as they piled on ten scoring shots to two in the first term alone.
The signs were already there at quarter-time that this would be another Cats' massacre from a team that won this corresponding game last year against the Kangaroos by 106 points and the grand final against Port Adelaide by a record 119 points.
But with Brownlow Medal favourites Jimmy Bartel and Gary Ablett at their destructive best, it was only a matter of time before the Saints' flimsy resistance was broken.
While the Cats' don't have a superstar full-forward like Hawthorn's Lance 'Buddy' Franklin, whose eight goals against the Dogs on Friday night took his tally to 110 for the season, they have more goalscoring options than any team and with Brad Ottens and Cameron Mooney booting four goals between them by half-time, the Cats led by 32 points and the game was virtually over.
In contrast St Kilda's forward line was exposed as being totally reliant on champion skipper Nick Riewoldt and when he was soundly beaten by Geelong's talented first year defender Harry Taylor, the Saints' scoring options all but evaporated - with Justin Koschitzke again disappointing.
In the third term the Cats simply toyed with the outclassed Saints by piling on nine goals to two, although they were aided by a controversial double goal in which the umpires again showed their tendency to reward players staging for free-kicks as Steve Johnson was gifted a goal.
That incident killed what little spirit the Saints had left and all that remained was to see just how much the Cats would win by as St Kilda made error after error with their day compounded by the loss of defender Jason Blake, with what appeared a broken wrist in the final term.
But this latest effort from the AFL's answer to the Harlem Globetrotters was even more remarkable considering they only had three on the interchange bench for most of the day after Brent Prismall suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first term.
But for those thinking the loss of one of their most improved midfielders may halt the Cats' momentum - think again and remember