Could 36-year-old Patrick Dangerfield back it up after his qualifying final heroics?Â
Was Max Holmes anywhere near fully fit?
All three had their moments but couldn't turn the game as the Wharfie Time-inspired Dockers stormed home to run out 18.12 (120) to 16.10 (106) winners in Friday night's AFL semi-final at Optus Stadium.
Doubts over whether Dangerfield could still back it up on the big stage were banished when the brilliant veteran booted his second major late in the third quarter to put Geelong ahead for the first time.
Minutes later, he stormed his way through a pack of defenders and drove a chain of possessions which ended with Cameron running through for his second goal.
Dangerfield's five goals to bury Carlton in their elimination final had reinforced his status as a match-winner virtually beyond compare in the modern era.
But even the most bullish Cats' supporter had to wonder whether, in his 19th AFL season, he could back it up, having struggled in last year's grand-final loss to Brisbane after a starring role a week earlier.
Dangerfield was influential on Friday night as the Cats fought back from an early deficit, having earlier booted Geelong's first major with a ripping finish from the pocket.
Cameron's battle with a shoulder injury had left the Cats experimenting with playing him at half-back to bring him into recent games.
He was back in more familiar territory against the Dockers with Dangerfield assisting his first goal since round 16 in June, a classy finish from a tight angle.
Cameron booted his second major late in the third term before Fremantle piled on four in a row to regain the ascendancy.
Alarm bells had been ringing for another hobbled Cat at halftime when Holmes limped to the bench with an apparent right ankle issue, having clattered into Fremantle's Shai Bolton while attempting a kick.
Holmes had fractured the same ankle and suffered a syndesmosis injury in the Cats' round 20 win over St Kilda, and he admitted it had been a "cut-throat decision" to return for the finals after undergoing surgery.
The hard-running midfielder lined up at the centre square to start the second half but had limited impact, finishing with 18 disposals.
Gryan Miers, among Geelong's best in the win over Carlton, also battled and had just 12 touches, having remarkably played through much of the season with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament.
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