Falcons close in on title
Power cut as dominant Geelong flexes muscles
GEELONG Falcons sliced their way into a TAC Cup preliminary final yesterday with a dismantling of Gippsland Power at MARS Stadium in Ballarat.
The seventh-placed Power brought heat and intensity in the first quarter to kick three majors, but the clinical Falcons showed why they are one of the sides to beat, keeping their opponents goalless after quarter-time in a 16.11 (107) to 3.4 (22) rout.
Geelong made its move in the second quarter, skipping from an 11-point lead to a 29point buffer, with the Power kept scoreless despite managing 10 inside-50s.
The Falcons then backed up their frugal second term, keeping the Power to one behind in the third stanza.
“That’s a data point in terms of stats we brought up a couple of times at the quarter-time breaks,” Falcons coach Dan O’Keefe said.
“It was wonderful to see the fact we absorbed a lot of really hot pressure from Gippsland.
“We judge our entries off inside-30, so they’re deep and dangerous entries. Credit to our defenders and our midfielders getting back to support, it proved really pivotal today.”
The fleet-footed Falcons forwards were uncontrollable in the first half, with Gryan Miers (three goals) and Lachie Noble (three goals) leading the way on the scoreboard.
But it was Geelong’s defence that received the most plaudits, controlled by Vic Country representative Matthew Ling.
Not only did it prevent the Power from hitting the score- board, but its ability to take on the game and handball its way out of trouble to start end-toend attacks was a sight to behold.
“Matty Ling is getting close to breaking a game open,” O’Keefe said.
“He probably had six to 10 exhilarating runs through the corridor and when he gets going with the ball in hand, even though it looks like his body is going too fast for his mind, it’s great to watch.”
Ethan Floyd was prolific on the wing and showed off his sharp foot skills, while Sam Walsh, Jack Henderson, Harry Benson and Cassidy Parish were busy.
“Ethan Floyd has been out of action for a long time; he would have had the most kicks on the ground today by a mile,” O’Keefe said.
“His left foot is exceptional and he set us up from defence quite a bit with his outside run.
But it was a sublime team effort that will have the Falcons confident they can progress to a grand final in next Sunday’s preliminary final, to be played against Dandenong at Simonds Stadium.
The two sides met only a week ago, with Geelong scoring a four-point victory, but the wide open expanses at Simonds Stadium, warmer conditions and different line-ups will make for a totally different game.
The Falcons were without Tom McCartin, but he should overcome a concussion to be right for this weekend.
“When we played them last week, they had a good half a dozen of their elite players out of the side, so they’ll be different and they proved to be pretty good yesterday,” O’Keefe said. “It’s exciting to get back on our home deck next week and play off for a grand final.’’