Cats need to stop pendulum swings
EVERY year there is a buzz word in football that players, coaches, commentators and fans increasingly use as the season progresses.
This year’s buzz word is momentum.
Usually it is only discussed from the perspective of a single match.
The way a team can use the ball when it has momentum and how well it can defend the opposition when it has it will, for the most part, decide the outcome of a game.
What can sometimes be overlooked, though, is how a team’s momentum can change within the season itself.
It is an area that Geelong has had issues with in the past, but far from it being related solely to post-bye concerns or having spent time away from the game, the Cats have generally had problems backing up after a loss.
In 2016 they recovered quickly from a defeat at the hands of GWS, although that was a win over Brisbane, who subsequently finished 17th on the ladder.
It is the other four losses for the year that stood out, coming as they did in two separate groups of two on the trot.
This year, Geelong rode the momentum of its early season form to win its first five games, but when Collingwood stopped the run, it took more than a fortnight for Chris Scott’s men to turn it around as they failed to overcome both Gold Coast and Essendon.
This season is looming as the most even in history, with any team capable of beating anyone on any given day, which points to Geelong needing to change its fortunes quickly following the loss to West Coast on Thursday night.
It cannot allow another string of defeats to occur as we saw between Round 6 and Round 8, for there is a multitude of teams breathing down its neck.
Every game is crucial in such a close year, and midfield star Mitch Duncan conceded the Cats would have preferred to keep playing following their recent wins over the Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and Adelaide.
“The bye probably didn’t come at a great time for us. We’d won three in a row and were playing some good footy,” Duncan said.
“Although the bodies needed a rest it probably did stall a little bit of our momentum, but we don’t use that as any type of excuse. We thought we had a really good preparation and we just couldn’t get things on our terms for long enough (against the Eagles).
“There is still a lot to work on and it’s a long season, an even season, so we will get back and work hard and try to rectify things next week.”
The Cats will have the perfect opportunity next Sunday to get its season back on track at Simonds Stadium, taking on a Fremantle side that itself has suffered from a mid-season shift in momentum.
But Duncan, who is enjoying his best season of football at the Cats and was again one of his team’s best contributors against West Coast, warned it would take more than just a home game to get the result they missed out on at Domain Stadium.
“We will definitely review the game thoroughly and watch Freo pretty closely,” he said.
“They’re coming off their bye, but they were playing some pretty reasonable footy between Round 3 and 10. They didn’t play as well against Brisbane as they would have wanted to, so they’ll be raring to go.
“But it will be good to be back at home and playing in front of our fans and hopefully we put on a good display of footy.”
Given its tough run in the coming month, next week seems as good a time as ever for Geelong to swing the momentum of its season back in its favour.