Homing in on finals
Cats must find a way to win at the MCG
THE debate about whether Geelong should play finals at Simonds Stadium is back on the agenda.
It probably won’t go away for a long time either, because the Cats are again at the pointy end of the ladder and destined for at least one home final.
It’s also a worthwhile debate because it seems that Greater Western Sydney, regardless of who they play or the anticipated crowd, will host their home finals at Spotless Stadium, which only has a capacity of 24,000, even though there are two significantly bigger stadiums nearby in Sydney.
On face value, Geelong should play every home final at Simonds, but it’s not that straightforward.
Even though the 2013 qualifying final didn’t go to plan, the Cats obviously have an enviable advantage playing in Geelong. Not only from a home crowd point of view, but the ground’s unique dimensions make it so easy for the Cats to defend.
You take any advantage you can get when it comes to winning a final — and, let’s be honest, the Cats haven’t had a great record in finals since the 2011 Grand Final, winning only two of eight.
Simonds is also the best regional venue in the southern hemisphere, with a lot of public and members’ money ploughed into it, so it also needs to be used for big games.
Under lights it would be an awesome spectacle.
But AFL grand finals are not played at Simonds Stadium.
They’re at the MCG, where the Cats have also struggled recently, and the more chances you get to play big games at the MCG, the better.
Learning to play under finals pressure at the MCG is one of the most important things a team can do.
Recently, the Cats have struggled to defend the MCG. They play wide and are guilty of bombing the ball a little aimlessly for shallow forward 50 entries, which means you can be scored against quickly if you turn the ball over.
My brother Jason played in back-to-back semi-finals at the SCG in 1996 when Sydney went on its famous run to the Grand Final.
The ground is obviously so much smaller to the MCG, and he told me the Swans simply weren’t prepared for the sudden change up to the wide expanses of the MCG against North Melbourne.
That’s probably the concern for the Giants. They’ve hardly played in front of a big crowd — there’s been a few 40,000- plus games in Adelaide and some decent crowds at the SCG, but they’re inexperienced on the big stage.
Believe me, the first time you walk out on to the MCG and play in front of 70,000 or 80,000, it can overawe you.
As it stands, Geelong should be playing its qualifying, elimination and semi-finals at Geelong against interstate teams and, potentially, some Melbourne teams.
And once the stage-five redevelopment is done, and pushes the capacity out to 40,000, it really becomes a nobrainer, too, especially if it’s a call between Simonds and Etihad Stadium.