Other teams have started the AFL season better, but none can match Geelong in full flight.

That's the view of Sydney coach Paul Roos, whose side was ruthlessly overpowered by the reigning premiers on Sunday at Skilled Stadium after an even first half.

Geelong booted 12 goals to three after half-time against a side that began round seven in top spot, and won by 67 points, 19.12 (126) to 9.5 (59).

Collingwood head the ladder after a fourth-straight big win and Fremantle (second) continue to prove the knockers wrong, but Roos said Geelong (third) at their best were a completely different beast.

"Their best is a fair bit ahead of anyone else's," Roos said.

"That doesn't always mean they're going to be premiership favourites or whatever, there's still a long way to go.

"But I think Geelong's best is still a bit ahead of anyone else's best."

Geelong's win was their 19th in succession at their home ground, and on top of Gary Ablett's creativity and the attack's potency, the Cats still have premiership players Joel Corey, Brad Ottens, Max Rooke and Mathew Stokes to return.

The Cats have enjoyed bigger wins this season, but coach Mark Thompson rated Sunday's performance the best of their five victories.

"We've had a couple of big games against Port Adelaide and Richmond, but today was better opposition - they're a quality side - and we knew we had to play well and we did," he said.

"What I was happy with was the way we played against good opposition, strong opposition, an opposition that's hard to get a kick on and hard to get goals against. We played terrifically well for four quarters."

In Sunday's other match, Adelaide finally broke through for their first win of the season, downing Richmond 15.14 (104) to 7.12 (54) at AAMI Stadium.

The match was tight until early in the last quarter, before the Tigers faded badly, allowing the Crows to kick the last eight goals.

It left Richmond coach Damien Hardwick still searching for his first win as a senior coach.

Collingwood's 67-point towelling of North Melbourne on Saturday night was the Magpies' fourth in succession of eight goals or more, while Fremantle notched another milestone by beating the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba for the first time, with a 13-point victory on Saturday night.

The Dockers host the Magpies on Friday night at Subiaco.

For the Lions, it was their third straight loss, their weekend further soured by serious injuries to Josh Drummond (knee) and Jared Brennan (ankle).

Sydney's defeat left them fifth, while Port Adelaide are sixth, after they over-ran Essendon and won by three points on Saturday, although the Power's joy was tempered by an ankle injury to key forward Warren Tredrea.

The Western Bulldogs are seventh and the Lions eighth.

The Bulldogs opened the round with a four-point win over Melbourne on Friday night, and West Coast inflicted a sixth-straight defeat on Hawthorn on Saturday, through an eight-point win at Subiaco.

The round concludes on Monday night, when St Kilda host Carlton at Etihad Stadium.

The Saints could climb as high as top spot if they win, while a Blues' victory would lift them into the eight, at the expense of Brisbane.

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