The Cats stay top of the ladder after defeating the Bombers at the MCG, while the Crows down the Dockers in a dour affair and the Kangaroos enjoy a 58-point thumping of the Blues.

Cats win big against Bombers at the 'G

Geelong brushed aside a rash of injuries and Gary Ablett's report to pick apart Essendon by 32 points in their MCG encounter.

The clash of game styles proved a non-contest, with the ladder-leading Cats in control for most of Sunday's country festival match, winning 13.8 (86) to 7.12 (54).

Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield spent the second half camped in the goal square with his left knee strapped. Ruckman Esava Ratugolea suffered a head knock in the third term and he did not return to the field.

The Cats also lost captain Joel Selwood and defender Zach Tuohy as late withdrawals because of soreness.

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Ablett was booked in the first quarter for a high forearm on Dylan Shiel in the first quarter. He has never been suspended and he is likely to be fined for the incident.

For all their problems, the Cats rarely looked in trouble after briefly losing the lead during the first quarter and they improved to a 6-1 record.

The bidding war between Geelong and the Western Australian clubs for midfielder Tim Kelly is set to go up a notch, as he was best afield with 30 disposals and two goals.

The Cats boast the league's stingiest defence and they kept Bombers stars such as Joe Daniher and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti quiet.

Jake Stringer was the sole shining light in attack for Essendon with three goals and midfielder Shiel racked up 33 disposals.

Cam Guthrie was the unlikely first goal kicker less than a minute into the match.

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The Cats kicked the next two as well in quick succession to put early pressure on Essendon, who was struggling for forward efficiency.

The Bombers hit back, with their own three-goal burst to hit the lead as Ablett was booked immediately for his hit on Shiel.

A late goal gave the Cats the lead at the first change, despite Essendon winning the inside 50s 18-8.

The Cats started taking control with the opening two goals of the second term and they should have added a third.

Dangerfield handballed to Jordan Clark in the goal square and Clark slipped, with the ball comically rolling through for a rushed behind.

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It was a rare blunder for the Cats, who extended their lead to 16 points at the main break.

More poor system in defence from Essendon led to a brilliant snap from Ablett at 12 minutes into the third term. That put the Cats 30 points ahead and the match was effectively over.

Crows pip Dockers in tight scrap

Adelaide's Cameron Ellis-Yolmen is wrapped up by the Fremantle defence. ( AAP: David Mariuz )

Adelaide downed Fremantle by 17 points in a hard-fought match to climb into the top eight for the first time this season.

The Crows won 7.9 (51) to 5.4 (34) in a high-pressure battle at Adelaide Oval.

Adelaide began the round in ninth spot but the gritty triumph lifts the club to sixth, one rung below the Dockers.

Crows midfielder Matt Crouch (39 disposals), his brother Brad (31 possessions) and linkman Tom Lynch (29 touches, eight marks) were influential in Adelaide's fourth win of the season.

Emerging ruckman Reilly O'Brien (44 hit-outs), Rory Sloane (33 touches) and defenders Rory Laird (32 disposals) and Brodie Smith were also prominent.

The Dockers slipped to their third loss despite standout displays from captain Nat Fyfe, who gathered 32 possessions, backman Luke Ryan (34 touches) and stalwart David Mundy (35 disposals).

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And Docker Darcy Tucker (two goals) was the only multiple goal kicker in the tight tussle.

Fremantle led 2.2 to 1.3 at quarter-time before a bizarre second term when both sides could not kick a goal.

The Crows kept the Dockers scoreless but managed just three behinds themselves in a quarter of ferocious intensity but little polish.

The Dockers held a two-point advantage at half-time, before Crow Hugh Greenwood ended the goal drought in the eighth minute of the third term with a 55-metre bomb.

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The goal gave Adelaide the lead for the first time but the plucky Dockers drew level before the Crows momentarily broke the shackles with three goals in seven minutes.

The mini-spree included a Lachlan Murphy goal in curious circumstances — he was lining up at goal some 30 metres out when Fremantle's Brad Hill, standing the mark, threw a wad of turf at him and copped a 50-metre penalty.

The Crows were up 19 points at three quarter-time but the Dockers challenged with consecutive majors to sneak within six points midway through the final term.

But the Dockers again paid a heavy price for a lapse in discipline when Tucker dropped the football instead of returning it to Adelaide's Alex Keath, who was awarded a 50-metre penalty and goaled.

Keath's teammate Eddie Betts sealed the win five minutes later with an audacious snap from near the boundary line.

Kangaroos jump dire Blues in 58-point flogging

North Melbourne's Nick Larkey (left) marks in front of Carlton's Jacob Weitering. ( AAP: Hamish Blair )

Carlton took a big step backwards in an embarrassing 58-point loss to a recharged North Melbourne at Docklands.

The Blues were beaten in every facet of the bottom-four clash, managing just one goal to half-time in an 18.12 (120) to 8.14 (62) annihilation.

While Carlton produced easily its worst performance for the season, the Kangaroos were finally back to their best as they secured their second win from seven games to, at least momentarily, ease pressure on embattled coach Brad Scott.

Ben Brown slotted four goals, 20-year-old Cameron Zurhaar booted five and Jack Ziebell quelled the influence of Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps — who still managed to finish with 26 disposals and two goals — in an influential midfield role.

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Adding to the Blues' woes, key defender Liam Jones was knocked out in a nasty collision with Kangaroos forward Cameron Zurhaar late in the third quarter.

Jones was taken from the ground on a motorised stretcher, while Zurhaar was left bleeding heavily from the head but played out the game.

It had already been a day to forget for Jones, who was monstered by Brown in one of many direct match-up wins for the Kangaroos.

Kangaroos backman Scott Thompson sat out the second half with a groin issue but the visitors had already iced the game by that point.

Sorely missing ruckman Matthew Kreuzer, the Blues — who were also without Kade Simpson, Mitch McGovern and Nic Newman — were hammered at the contests from the opening bounce and fared little better with ball in hand.

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Midfield workhorse Cripps appeared to be hampered early, allowing first use to the Kangaroos' prime movers Ben Cunnington, Jed Anderson and Trent Dumont.

Brown set the tone for a big afternoon when he outmarked both Jones and Lachie Plowman and slotted the first of three opening-quarter majors.

The Kangaroos booted the first seven goals of the game, then pressed their advantage in a performance built around strong forward pressure.

Carlton's forwards lacked supply but were beaten all ends up in any case, highlighted by Robbie Tarrant's dominance of Harry McKay.

Levi Casboult and Ed Curnow were other notable non-performers for the 17th-placed Blues, who host in-form Collingwood next Saturday.

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