The Geelong AFL juggernaut stepped up a gear as the Cats gave the Kangaroos a deserved 85-point mauling at Skilled Stadium.

Not since the opening rounds of 1999 has Geelong kicked 20 goals or more in successive games and the 22.14 (146) to 8.13 (61) thrashing means the Cats have now scored a combined 44 goals - a whopping 289 points - against Carlton and the Roos in their past two outings.

Geelong fell away badly in 1999, but there appears little danger of that happening in 2005 - barring a terrible injury run - as its key players are all firing.

Captain Steven King led the way in the ruck, midfielders James Kelly, Jimmy Bartel and Kane Tenace were too slick, fullback Matthew Scarlett thrashed Saverio Rocca, and Henry Playfair and Kent Kinglsey were terrific focal points as floating forwards.

Bartel, Playfair and Kingsley all booted three goals, while another 10 Cats scored at least one to turn what looked a comfortable win in the making into a rout. Geelong booted 14 goals to four after half-time.

"It was a good finish to the game, it wasn't a great second quarter (when the Roos kicked three goals to two), but we got back to the way we wanted to play in the second half and we scored a lot of times and we went inside 50 and we had a lot of goalkickers, so (I) couldn't have asked for any more really," Cats coach Mark Thompson said.

Geelong's fifth straight win coincided with the Kangaroos' fourth straight loss, and the Roos' perfect 5-0 start to the season is now just a memory.

The tireless Shannon Grant was the Kangaroos' only winner, and coach Dean Laidley said another limp effort had the club perilously close to crisis mode.

"Pretty close to, I'd imagine," Laidley rued.

The coach has watched his players blow perfect starts in his three years at the helm and such was his frustration, he admitted he was close to giving his charges a serve of his renowned fury.

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