Dangerfield delivers

IT PROBABLY came as no surprise given the short turnaround from last week that Geelong appeared to start slowly against Port Adelaide last night.

The Cats have been doing it for most of the year, and on top of that, teams playing the week after they have clashed with the Western Bulldogs have struggled all season.

So it was not a complete shock to see Geelong below its best early.

But the 1.5.11 score line — which happened to be the worst the Cats have recorded since Round 7, 2009 — was not a true reflection of how they’d played until that point.

Sure, Geelong was fumbling and turning the ball over — which was in part due to the pressure applied by the Power and part because of poor disposal execution — but it had plenty of the ball and had it inside 50 more than double the opposition.

Mitch Duncan was a solid contributor early (11 disposals), as was Joel Selwood, and Lachie Henderson was as strong as ever down back.

Mark Blicavs was doing what 198cm midfielders should — taking marks, providing a presence around the ground and then delivering inside 50, which he did four times for the quarter.

The inaccuracy in front of goal could have hurt the Cats, but being eight points down meant they just needed a spark from somewhere.

Enter a familiar suspect LACHIE YOUNG’S VOTES