DAN’S DUMPING A BIG CALL

types of players win you finals.

So the guts shown by Geelong’s selection committee on Thursday was huge.

Whether they are labelled as foolish or geniuses will only be certain come the final siren.

Out-of-contract at the end of the season, Menzel’s future at Geelong is now under a pretty damn big cloud.

It’s hard to see him stick around at the club in 2018 after being dropped for a final. There is no doubt Menzel believes he is in Geelong’s best 22 and should be playing tonight.

But it also raises questions as to what was behind his omission.

Has his contract situation boiled over to a point where Geelong can’t play him any more? Is he out of favour with the coaches?

Both are unlikely, of course. Cats coach Chris Scott and his selection committee are outstanding professionals and will always pick a team they believe gives the club the best chance possible to win a game.

Externally the defensive side of Menzel’s game has been questioned in the past. Scott has never been drawn into commenting on that part of Menzel’s game in public.

He keeps his cards close to his chest.

But there is no doubt merit to the criticism of Menzel’s defensive efforts.

Geelong is the best pressure team in the competition. It leads the AFL for tackles, tackle efficiency and pressure acts.

That is the kind of stuff that wins you big finals come the end of the year.

Menzel, however, is well behind his teammates by a significant margin when it comes to tackle pressure.

He has laid just 22 tackles in his 17 games this season. James Parsons (42 from 18), Brandan Parfitt (44 from 12), Tom Hawkins (56 from 19) and even Steven Motlop (44 from 20), who is often criticised by fans for his defensive game, have laid considerably more.

On the wide expanses of the MCG, maybe the Cats feel Menzel’s lack of tackle pressure is too much of a risk.

In football, you live and die by the sword with decisions like this.

The Cats will be hoping that blade doesn’t cut off their heads. EMG: TV RADIO IN OUT NEW MILESTONE