For the self-proclaimed 'greatest team of all' this will now be the greatest flag of all.

Geelong now needs to win three games in three weeks to win its third flag in four years. The Cats may need to overcome Hawthorn - a total of 20 points have separated the sides the last four times they have played - and then almost certainly Collingwood, who touched them up handily just a few weeks ago, in the preliminary final.

In all likelihood St Kilda would be waiting for them in the grand final and the Saints have now beaten them twice this year.

The Saints will take so much out of this win. When the game was hot and before the rain came, they smashed the Cats in tackles and contested possessions. The Cats ended up winning that stat 128-123, but early on they were surprisingly poor. Rarely has Geelong's backline appeared so fragile under siege and rarely have they been so restricted in the centre corridor where they like to run and carry.

Another important stat is inside 50's and the Cats dominated that department for most of the final quarter. They pounded the ball forward time after time but added just 1.7 to 1.0 for the quarter.

They could have had a second goal, which would have been the match-winner to Cameron Ling but the push in the back was paid against Cameron Mooney to James Gwilt, and the free kick was there. It will be debated forever, just like Tony Liberatore's shot on goal in the 1997 preliminary final, and while Cats coach Mark Thompson appeared to make it pretty clear afterwards that the decision was wrong, the umpires consistently rewarded the players who put their head over the footy all night and Gwilt was certainly first to the ball in this passage of play.

And Mooney, who carried on like a spoiled prat when he told the umpire that he had "cost us the match" should have been pinged for 50 metres for dissent.

Indeed, the Geelong haters will have got a kick out of this one. Gary Ablett reasonably quiet, Joel Selwood didn't have an impact, Josh Hunt turning the ball over and Mooney missing a couple that he could have kicked.

The Saints will enjoy the break. They have a fortnight to freshen up for the preliminary final with the main selection dilemma for Ross Lyon being who to drop for Steven Baker, because you can bet the house that Lyon won't want to enter such a huge game without his no.1 hard man. But Lyon will enjoy the review, take pride in the courage of his players and offer a silent prayer for the likes of Nick Riewoldt and Steven Milne, neither of whom starred, but burst the game open at important stages.

Geelong has a week to recharge and to plan its most challenging premiership assault of the last four years. If it's the Dockers at Etihad they're to meet next Friday they'll win in a canter. But if it's the Hawks at the MCG, another magnificent game is on the cards.