The young Bombers showed plenty of pluck in the second half, but the margin blew out late from 21 early in the fourth to the 15.19 (109) to 10.5 (65) result on the final siren at GMHBA Stadium.

Given Essendon's injury woes to its defensive stocks, there were even betting markets offering odds for Cameron to out-score his opponents single-handedly as hype around a rare 100-goal season grew.

Cameron's goal song is "The Gambler", a rare example of a celebration that perfectly matches the personality, laid-back with a knowing grin. He knows when to hold 'em, knows when to fold 'em. If you're gonna play the game, boy, you gotta learn to play it right.

But things don't always go to plan for gamblers. There was a hit head on the turf during a marking attempt, then a stray boot from a tackled Jayden Nguyen that also clipped his head, and some pretty heavy legs from desperate, repeated efforts. In the end, accuracy eluded him, kicking 4.5.

Essendon mid-season recruit Liam McMahon impressed with limited opportunities, proving to be a strong presence in attack. He was Essendon's sole goal-kicker until Zach Merrett saluted 18 minutes into the third term, kicking four for the game.

A strong side coming up against an undermanned team can occasionally be a recipe for a touch of lairising, and the Cats players did try to be too fancy at times when moving into attack, although it was balanced out by solid efforts like Zach Guthrie's run-down tackle on speedster Isaac Kako.

Half-back Andy McGrath played mostly through the midfield, as he has in recent weeks, and Kako was then rotated in to start the second half, the margin sitting at just 37 points, despite the Cats recording 17 scoring shots to five.

Essendon made some headway in the third term, steadying its entries into attack and tackling fiercely across the field. The rub of the whistle started to go its way, too, as it piled on four straight goals, and five for the quarter.

Archie Roberts was outstanding off half-back for the Bombers, while Cats recruit Bailey Smith provided plenty of spark through the middle, particularly in the first half.

GEELONG     4.5    7.10    11.13   15.19 (109)
ESSENDON   1.2    2.3     7.5       10.5 (65)

GOALS
Geelong: Cameron 4, Neale 3, Mannagh 3, Blicavs 2, Dempsey, Close, Miers
Essendon: McMahon 4, Merrett, Guelfi, Gresham, McGrath, Duursma, Wright

BEST
Geelong: Smith, Holmes, Miers, Mannagh, Cameron, O'Sullivan
Essendon: Roberts, Merrett, McGrath, McMahon, Durham

INJURIES
Geelong: J.Henry (hamstring tightness)
Essendon: Nil

LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Jack Martin (managed), replaced in the selected side by Jhye Clark
Essendon: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Jhye Clark (replaced J.Henry at half-time)
Essendon: Jye Menzie (replaced Lual at three-quarter time)

Crowd: 30,289 at GMHBA Stadium