GEELONG'S VFL side edged out Sandringham in a thriller at Trevor Barker Oval yesterday.
Geelong fought back from a late two-goal deficit to snatch a three-point victory from a St Kilda reserve side which featured AFL guns Jason Gram, Max Hudghton and Matt Maguire.
Coach Dale Amos praised the team's resilience after the match.
"They jumped out of the blocks - the boys got challenged a few times and were able to hang on so it was a great effort," Amos said.
"At different stages they jumped us. They started really well, they kicked six goals to three in the first quarter, they kicked the first three goals of the game.
"Even the last quarter they kicked a few quick goals and it looked like we might've struggled to get back into the game.
"It was a great sign that when we got challenged we were able to hang in there."
In further good news for Cat fans, several players in senior selection calculations showed strong form.
"Kane Tenace played in the midfield and did a terrific job, Hogan was good in the middle, Djerrkura played really well, Gillies did a good job down back, Trent West probably played his best game in the ruck," Amos said.
"Those guys are certainly pushing hard for selection.
"From their end they're doing what they need to do to maybe give themselves a chance to play (AFL)."
Geelong sits third from the bottom and faces Casey Scorpions, which sit one place higher, at Casey Fields next Sunday.
"Today hopefully is a win that gets us going," Amos said.
"We've played fairly consistently without being able to win games of footy. It was nice to get a really good result and we can now try to string a few together."
