If you can't beat them, marvel at them.

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey was left with little alternative other than to shower Geelong with praise after the Cats humiliated his Demons at the MCG.

Bailey said Geelong had given Melbourne a footballing lesson from start to finish on Friday night, and that the Cats' 116-point win made his AFL side looked "second-rate".

Although critical of Melbourne's lack of defensive pressure, inability to use the ball well and poor decision-making, Bailey said Geelong had taken the game to a new level and teamed so well it was above that of mere mortals.

"They're very well-connected. They've played a number of games together and you can see it out on the ground," Bailey said after Geelong embarrassed Melbourne 24.13 (157) to 5.11 (41).

"They seem to have an ... it's almost like an ESP sense amongst them.

"They know there's a player there (in space) and they run to the right positions, therefore the decisions and the speed of the ball (movement) happens."

Although there is a massive gulf between his side and Geelong, Bailey said the Cats were destined to win back-to-back premierships.

"They've showed every sign they're well on the way," he said.

"If they do that you'd have to think they've changed the way, to some degree, how football is played with their speed of ball (movement). They're very, very good at it."

Melbourne, who now appear set to finish last, would aim to learn something from Friday night's brutal lesson.

"The guys who played the game, they will have learned a lesson," Bailey said.

"We got a real big lesson in how to play team football.

"Team football is paramount and they do it at a level we're not near.

"We need to extract some of that, but we need to develop our own style and ability to create pressure and turnovers.

"We were turning the ball over and it was mainly because of their good play and their pressure."

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