DANGEROUS GAME
SATURDAY night’s clash against Brisbane is a danger game for Geelong.
From a historical point of view, there are some red flags.
We know the Cats have a history of lowering their guard against sides lower on the ladder and we also know their record is poor coming off the bye.
The Cats obviously haven’t had the bye this week but that’s the type of “holiday vibe” that can be generated by spending a week on the Gold Coast.
Geelong players need to bring a ruthless edge on Saturday night, not only to make sure they get the job done but also to repay the club for looking after them like this.
Because the reality is, even though there is a longterm objective at play here, they’ve opened themselves up to the perception of “taking a holiday” by ditching the Geelong winter for the warmer Queensland climate.
I had a close look at the Lions on the weekend in their gutsy comeback win over Essendon and there are clear signs that they’re putting together a nice list of talented kids.
Their current ladder position doesn’t lie — they’re last on the table — but we saw glimpses of the nuisance value they present when they get their tail up, which is exciting.
Brisbane has got one of the best forwards in the making in Eric Hipwood, who kicked four goals in the win over the Bombers.
Local kid Alex Witherden was stiff not to get the NAB Rising Star nomination this week for Brisbane after a sensational game picking up 29 possessions, while Dayne Zorko deserves to be considered a top-10 player in the league.
Harris Andrews, still only 20 years old, is going to be one of the better defenders in the game, high draft pick Hugh McCluggage has slotted in nicely and Daniel McStay looks like he is going to be a consistent player after pledging his immediate future to the club with a new two-year deal.
You can see the Lions playing with real passion and you can tell they love their coach Chris Fagan with the way they reacted on the weekend.
We’ve seen those amazing pictures of him pumping the air and reacting like they had won the premiership, but I tell you what, his players were giving it back to him 10- fold with their loving embraces after the game. You can sense a real love and respect two ways.
Geelong probably exceeded everyone’s expectations last week against GWS Giants and they were exceptionally well coached too.
The Cats’ depth was severely stretched by having to call up three debutants but they denied the Giants’ runand-carry and really stripped GWS of its attacking weapons.
The game also went a long way to proving Geelong can beat anyone without one of the much-vaunted Selwood- Dangerfield combination. I really liked the inclusion of Wylie Buzza and thought his debut was excellent. Not only did he kick a couple of goals, he laid seven tackles, which is a huge effort for a bloke 198cm.
Good on Geelong for having the conviction to try something like spending a week away from the club. The Cats have done it before and it shows they’re looking for alternative ways to give their players an edge.
In 2011, they went straight from West Coast to Gold Coast in preparation for a match against Brisbane, which they won by five goals.
Not only does it mitigate the extra travel, it gets the players together, provides the chance for bonding sessions (without the drinking, of course), all while their kids, families and partners are up in Queensland with them too.
But it can be a trap. So you’ve got to make sure your leaders are really cranking it up at training, they need to be setting the standard and if they detect any signs of anyone losing concentration, they’ve got to crack the whip and bring them back into line.
As a result, it could be a danger game against a young side playing with confidence.