If Geelong is to make a late charge and play in the AFL finals this year, it will need plenty more of what was belatedly on show in the final term of Sunday's 10-point victory over Port Adelaide.

And very little of what occurred in the dour opening three quarters.

An injury-ravaged Power looked in the box seat when Brett Ebert goalled to put it 10 points clear in the opening minute of the final term at Skilled Stadium.

But sparked by its tallest and shortest players, Geelong responded with its best football of the day, slamming on four successive goals to win 9.14 (68) to 8.10 (58).

The Cats ended the weekend one game outside the top eight with a 7-8 win-loss record.

The Power slipped to 6-9 and now seems set to miss the finals for only the second time during coach Mark Williams' eight-year reign.

The Cats' best players included 202cm ruck-forward Brad Ottens and 177cm pocket rocket Mathew Stokes.

The oft-maligned Ottens (three goals) produced one of his best games in a Geelong jumper, while Stokes provided several of the highlights of the exciting final quarter.

Playing only his seventh senior game, Stokes kicked two goals in the final term and ran himself to a standstill, so much so that he took himself from the ground after running down Peter Walsh and forcing the Port defender to kick the ball out of bounds on the full.

"We came here to win," said Cats coach Mark Thompson.

"I don't think anyone will remember this game as a game to watch or put in the library but at the end of the day they will look at Geelong and we got the four points.

"There were not many positives, apart from the fact that at three-quarter time when it was level and they scored the first goal, we had to dig deep.

"And we outran an opposition for the first time when a game has been close at three-quarter time."

The downside for Geelong came during the second term when the influential Cameron Mooney was reported for striking Josh Mahoney.

Cats fullback Matthew Scarlett is also likely to attract the attention of the video review panel after making contact with Daniel Motlop during the first quarter.

The resultant 50 metre penalty gifted the opening goal of the game to Port skipper Warren Tredrea, who otherwise failed to have any real impact on the contest.

The Power's better players included Shaun Burgoyne, Kane Cornes, Danyle Pearce and Motlop.

But its gameplan took a hammering when Dean Brogan was forced off early in the second term with a badly sprained ankle, forcing Brendon Lade to ruck one out for the remainder of the day against Ottens and Steven King.

"We didn't have any opportunity to have the (resting) ruckman in the forward line," said Williams.

"But the fact is that Geelong was playing at home, they are a proud club and they want to win.

"... We like to win, we like to be very, very competitive but we are fully focused on making sure that we are making great decisions for our future, so that when we have another run at the premiership we get another one."

After exchanging the lead several times, Port took a four-point advantage into the final quarter when Burgoyne coolly converted from beyond the 50 metre arc after the three-quarter time siren.

Ebert extended that lead to 10 points with his goal in the opening minute of the final quarter before Geelong responded through Stokes (two goals), Ottens and Paul Chapman.

The Cats were also well served by Darren Milburn, Corey Enright and Tom Harley.

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