THE SYDNEY Swans have slipped to third on the premiership ladder after a 34-point loss to Geelong and will have to travel to Adelaide for a qualifying final against the Crows next weekend.

Geelong, meanwhile, has secured a home elimination final with its gutsy win over the Swans in a tough and rugged clash at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.

The Cats' 17.10 (112) to 11.12 (78) victory - in a match played in brilliant sunshine and which featured finals-like intensity early on - means they will finish either fifth or sixth on the ladder.

Although Geelong dominated the inside-50 count all afternoon, and the stat finished 71 to 41 in its favour, the Swans actually made the early running.

John Longmire's men led by nine points five minutes into the second quarter, and they also opened a six-point advantage after the booting the first two goals of the third term.

But the Cats took control of the contest by kicking eight unanswered majors either side of three-quarter time.

"We thought the first quarter, in particular, was a really tough contest - not really pretty attacking footy, but that's not what you get against teams like Sydney," Geelong coach Chris Scott said after the match.

"In terms of a dress rehearsal [for the finals] it was a good result. The game was played how we wanted it to be played.

"But it's a bit unfair to call it a dress rehearsal. There was a bit at stake for both teams, and we thought the contest was pretty fierce, so we were pleased with our effort."

Veteran half-forward Paul Chapman led the way for the reigning premiers, kicking three goals and collecting 17 possessions.

But the 30-year-old was also reported for a high strike on Ben McGlynn during the first quarter.

Tom Hawkins, who had an entertaining battle with Heath Grundy, was the Cats' other key contributor on the scoreboard.

Hawkins booted four goals, in the process taking a slender lead over Fremantle skipper Matthew Pavlich in the race for the Coleman Medal.

James Kelly (23 touches and 16 tackles) and Joel Selwood (27 possessions and nine clearances) were dominant players for Geelong in the middle of the ground, while Harry Taylor blanketed Adam Goodes.

The other good news story for the Cats was the performance of athletic ruckman Nathan Vardy, who was playing his first AFL game of the season.

Vardy won 10 hit-outs, gathered nine disposals and booted a long goal before he was subbed out and replaced by Steven Motlop during the early stages of the last quarter.

The Swans missed the presence of injured big man Sam Reid (glute strain) in attack, as they struggled to get the ball past half-forward.

"Geelong's tackling pressure was really good," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"Too many times we got caught just going pretty safe, and I think in the end good teams make you pay if you continually do that.

"We just weren't as aggressive as we would probably like with our ball movement, which ultimately costs you inside-50s, which costs you opportunities to score.  

"We did not give our forwards many opportunities, I think that was because of the conservative nature of our ball movement."

However, Josh Kennedy and Jarrad McVeigh worked tirelessly up and down the ground for the visitors, while Ted Richards held his own after being shifted onto Chapman.

Kieren Jack also lodged a late contender for goal of the year when he split the middle from only a couple of centimetres inside the boundary line, deep in the right pocket, 10 minutes into the third quarter.

GEELONG               4.3    7.5    12.7    17.10 (112)
SYDNEY SWANS    4.5    5.8    7.12    11.12 (78)
 
GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 4, Chapman 3, Podsiadly 3, Johnson, Vardy, Christensen, Duncan, Lonergan, Mackie, Bartel
Sydney Swans: McVeigh 2, Goodes 2, Jack, Kennedy, Mumford, Walsh, O'Keefe, McGlynn, Bolton

BEST
Geelong: Kelly, Chapman, Selwood, Bartel, Scarlett, Taylor, Johnson
Sydney Swans: Kennedy, McVeigh, Richards, Armstrong, Shaw

INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Sydney Swans: Nick Smith (tight hamstring) replaced in selected side by Tony Armstrong

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Nathan Vardy replaced by Steven Motlop in the fourth quarter
Sydney Swans: Tommy Walsh replaced by Luke Parker in the third quarter.
 
Reports: Paul Chapman (Geelong) for striking Ben McGlynn (Sydney Swans) in the first quarter.
 
Umpires: B.Rosebury, J.Schmitt, S.Meredith
 
Official crowd: 20,045 at Simonds Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs