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GEELONG West delivered a stunning 50-point victory over East Geelong in what represents a season-defining moment for the club.
In a win coach Nick Washington described as the best in his time, the Cheetahs are now firmly in the mix for a long-awaited finals berth.
“(In) my time since 2006, this is the best win we’ve been involved with, the best win by a mile,” Washington said.
“The intensity from the very first bounce was fantastic; it was the level we know we’re capable of.
“I think we’ve proven to the rest of the competition that we’re here now and we are capable.”
Geelong West’s previous four wins have come against lower ranked sides and it has had horror losses throughout 2014.
The club now sits sixth on the ladder, only outside the top five on percentage.
The upset victory over an inform Eagles outfit has Washington confident his team has developed the belief in each other to match it with the top sides of the league.
“When you’re trying to build a team, you’ve got to have 22 blokes who trust each other when they go on the field,” he said.
“I don’t think that trust was there early. I think that starts to change now.
“I think this sort of win will be something that will (instil) a bit of belief.
“If you’ve got that belief within your group, within each other, the rest of it just falls into place — it’s a powerful thing.”
Alex Denham instigated the win with seven majors, including three crucial third-quarter goals.
Washington believes the 21 year-old could be anything in the years to come if he can get his body right.
Michael Gregorio dominated the ruck division while James Donaldson, Chris Bradshaw and Robbie Sims were also influential.
East Geelong kicked the opener of the match before the home side slammed on five unanswered goals to skip away to a handy lead, before the Eagles kicked two late goals to trim the margin to eight points at the first change.
Geelong West remained in full control of the match, piling on the first four goals of the second term to extend the margin to 32 points. The Cheetahs held that lead into half-time — 10.2.62 to 4.6.30.
The opening 10 minutes of the second half saw East Geelong press hard, with two goals early.
However, Cheetahs spearhead Alex Denham silenced the run with three goals of his own, to ensure the home side held a 27-point lead at three quarter-time.
Justin White booted the Cheetahs’ second of the final term to bury any hope of a comeback.
The match petered out to the final siren, the late highlight being Denham’s seventh goal in a best on ground performance.
