If the health of AFL footy is so bad, then Geelong coach Chris Scott wants to know why they played in front of Greater Western Sydney's first ever sold-out home game.

Giants coach Leon Cameron also believes the game will sort itself out, although he says they let their supporters down in a scrappy 9.15 (69) to 6.6 (42) loss at Manuka Oval on Saturday.

Cats forward Tom Hawkins  kicked five goals and onballer Steven Motlop (two goals) was best on ground.

The Giants gave themselves a chance to win after a gutsy third quarter, but Geelong easily ran away with the game in front of 14,667 fans — the third biggest AFL crowd in Canberra.

Both teams struggled to hit targets and the Cats struggled in front of goal.

There's been plenty of debate about football as a spectacle, with talk of zones and rule changes, and this match was scrappy at best.

But Scott put that down to the blustery conditions and felt there was no need to worry about any perceived trend.

"I'm a bit more glass half full with the way the game looks. Let's focus on the positives — the most people came to watch a game of AFL footy in the history of AFL in Canberra," he said.

"It's got to be a positive ... I get the feeling every time I [go] to Sydney there's a slight increase in the exposure of our game."

A win would have helped shore up the Giants' spot in the top eight, but the loss means the Cats and the chasing pack are now breathing down their necks for a finals berth.

Cameron said the Giants needed to learn how to "get over the expectation hump" as they were outperformed by their more experienced opponents in a big game.

But he felt this would be an important learning curve for when they're in the same position in the future.

The loss meant GWS missed out on winning all three games in Canberra for the first time, but his main was concern was letting Canberra down.

"The two sides didn't set out to have an ugly contest, but what we need to address — we let our supporters down and also ourselves down — is our basic ball skills," Cameron said.

"That hasn't been much of an issue this year, I think we've actually been pretty good at that. We score pretty freely ... but the last two games have been particularly bogged down."

Giants small forward Toby Greene kicked the first goal of the game, outmuscling both Andrew Mackie and Jimmy Bartel before kicking a great goal over his head.

But then the Cats took control and kicked the next five.

Hawkins proved too big and too strong for Giants defender Aidan Corr, while Motlop's run was causing all sorts of problems for the home team.

If it wasn't for Geelong's inaccuracy in front of goal, the game would have been over by half-time — instead the Cats left door open with a 25-point lead.

GWS struggled to find a target inside 50, with Jeremy Cameron well held by Harry Taylor, although Adam Tomlinson provided a spark when he went forward.

They fought back into the contest in the third quarter, led by Adam Treloar, co-captain Callan Ward and Stephen Coniglio, and were within three goals going into the last term.

But that was where the fightback ended as the more experienced Cats ran away with the game.

The Giants could be without Rhys Palmer (corked hamstring) for next weekend's tough road trip to face Fremantle, while the Cats will host the lowly Brisbane Lions at Kardinia Park.

GWS GIANTS         1.1     2.3     4.6      6.6 (42)
GEELONG CATS    3.6    5.10   6.10    9.15 (69)

Goals: Giants: Greene, Tomlinson, Kelly, Downie, Lamb, Ward. Cats: Hawkins 5, Motlop 2, Selwood, Duncan.

Best: Giants: Treloar, Coniglio, Williams, Haynes, Tomlinson, Shaw. Cats: Motlop, Hawkins, Caddy, Enright, Selwood, Lonergan.

Injuries: Giants: Rhys Palmer (corked hamstring). Cats: Nil.

Umpires: Chris Kamolins, Brett Rosebury, Brendan Hosking.

Crowd: 14,667 at Manuka Oval.