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AN explosive third quarter by East Geelong paved the way for a hard-fought 26-point win over Geelong West on Saturday and propelled them into fourth spot on the ladder.
The win also ensured the Eagles remain undefeated since the bye.
The return of several key players equated to East Geelong's strongest line-up of 2013, although its best form may still be in the making, according to coach Ricky O'Toole.
"(You) probably saw the best and worst of us (today). It was a good win, it's all about getting the four points at the end of the day," O'Toole said.
In a see-sawing match, the highlight was undoubtedly the Eagles' third quarter in which they piled on 9.4 to 2.1 and showed what a devastating side they can be.
Last year's grand finalists will now turn their focus to finding continuity in the side. They welcomed back five players to the team on Saturday and signed Tyson Blackney from Torquay last week.
"We are (close to full strength), having (Simon) Prymke, (Ben) Bolton, (Andrew) Challis, (Allan) Johnson - all those blokes back playing footy. Probably more important, we can keep them on the paddock and keep that continuity."
It was a heated opening five minutes of the match, with both sides eager to impose themselves.
The Eagles gained the early ascendancy with a five-goal-to-one first quarter before the Cheetahs responded in the second term with a brilliant 30 minutes of football, holding the home side goalless while piling on 5.4 themselves.
Brendan Wall and Luke Reddie sparked Geelong West's revival with two goals in quick succession before Conor Long kicked the first of his two majors to put the Cheetahs a goal in front at half-time.
In such a crucial match for both sides, the third quarter proved the difference as East Geelong produced an unstoppable performance.
The Eagles turned the one goal deficit into a 39-point lead at three-quarter-time, dominating out of the middle and slamming on nine goals to two.
In step with the roller-coaster match, Geelong West again challenged, kicking the opening three goals to cut the margin to 20 points in the final quarter, only to see East Geelong steady and control the remainder of the game. However, it was unable to capitalise late, registering eight behinds for the term.
East Geelong now faces the fifth placed Roos in a "massive" match, with the opportunity to cement a finals berth.
Luke Parker and Andrew Hill, who suffered minor injuries in the victory, will have to prove their fitness for next week's clash.
