Geelong coach Mark Thompson lauded his team as "awesome" after the Cats enhanced their burgeoning premiership credentials and put a significant dent in Port Adelaide's with a blazing 56-point victory at AAMI Stadium.

Though they had won only three of 21 previous games in Adelaide, the Cats have not lost to Port since the 2004 qualifying final and they blew the game apart with a barnstorming eight goal second term.

Up by an unassailable 71 points at halftime, the Cats cruised home in slippery conditions to win 16.20 (116) to 8.12 (60).

In the process they snatched second spot on the league ladder from the Power, who have now lost two games in a row and slipped from top spot two weeks ago to mid-table on percentage.

Port were further deflated by the news that Daniel Motlop sustained a broken collar bone in an early exchange and will be out for at least six weeks.

"It's huge, we've come over here many times and walked away empty and sad, so to win was a fantastic result," Thompson said.

"The first half was probably the best we've played all year, it was just awesome, we were very proud of the guys, they were just so ruthless, and disciplined.

"As a coach, they were playing their roles exactly as we wanted them to.

"The players deserve all the credit, after the Kangaroos game they realised their attitude wasn't right so they wanted to be a better team on a week to week basis.

"We're not going to get carried away because we know in the past we haven't handled those situations well."

The Cats had winners everywhere, but none were more influential than Jimmy Bartel (26 possessions, two goals), Joel Corey (29 touches, eight clearances), Darren Milburn and Gary Ablett, while ruckman Brad Ottens (18 hit-outs, seven clearances) did much of the hard work by holding his own against All Australian Brendon Lade (26 and three).

Chad and Kane Cornes and David Rodan were Port's best, but Mark Williams was frank about his side's first half surrender.

"They smashed us, there's no doubt about it, that was as bad as we've played in a long time," he said.

"They belted us off the ball, stopped us at stoppages, easily scored from them.

"We were really disappointed, spent a long time at halftime discussing it, and it was good to arrest some of the damage but we don't take too much from that.

"It was one of the poorer games and we've got a huge challenge next week with Hawthorn on fire as well."

Corey, Bartel and Ablett directed traffic through the midfield, Steve Johnson, Matthew Stokes and Wojcinski posed problems up forward, and Matthew Scarlett's match-up on Brett Ebert, rather than his usual posting on Warren Tredrea, proved effective.

By quarter-time the lead was a significant 25 points, and if the start had provided the Power with a jolt, the second quarter soon became the sort that can have local supporters scurrying for the exits.

Stokes goaled within a minute of the re-start, and Cameron Ling's snap, after reacting quicker than Port's statuesque defence, suggested all was not well with the home side.

A Tredrea mark momentarily broke the run, but Geelong's response was to put a definitive stamp on the match.

Cameron Mooney and Johnson found the target to stretch the margin to 43 points, and then four goals in the final five minutes of the quarter, the last two in dramatic style from the exceptional Bartel, took it to 71.

Implored to show some more fight for the remainder of the game, Port chipped away at the Cats, even holding them to one goal in term three.

But the damage had been done and Geelong registered a road success that further legitimises their attention-grabbing home display against West Coast two weeks ago.

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