CATS STUN SWANS
Geelong out-Sydneys Sydney
THERE was a sense of inevitability about last night’s semifinal between Geelong and Sydney from about midway through the second quarter of the Swans’ win against Essendon last Saturday.
Last night, you could feel it outside the MCG and inside the ground, speaking to fans of both teams before the first bounce.
Experts, commentators and talkback callers had also lined up throughout the week to declare the inevitable result.
The general consensus was the same, no matter where you turned: the match was going to be a one-sided affair that would separate a premiership contender from a team that had promised much but ultimately failed to deliver.
As it turned out, they were all right.
A genuine flag hopeful emerged and sent a stern reminder to the competition that it could, on its day, be a force to be reckoned with.
Everything went to script apart from the fact it was Geelong who played the role of chief protagonist and dominated proceedings.
As Walter D Wintel wrote in his poem Thinking “life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can”.
The Geelong players have always believed they have the capacity to achieve the ultimate glory with the talent on the club’s list, but Sydney has been a thorn in its side it simply had to overcome.
Last night it did so emphatically.
The Cats started well and, despite losing both the stoppage and inside-50 count in the first quarter, they were winning the contested ball (47-40), and their aerial dominance (27 marks to 16) resulted in them having more of the footy overall. Their tackle intensity was noticeably higher, but more than that, it was their application of pressure and ability to withstand Sydney’s harassing style that stood out.
Chris Scott’s decision to start Patrick Dangerfield forward had the potential to backfire and, despite running the risk of robbing Peter to pay Paul, it worked sensationally, with the reigning Brownlow medallist bagging two goals for the term.
Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan and Sam Menegola covered his loss in the middle of the ground and Luke Parker and Josh Kenendy were down on their usual output.
In defence, Harry Taylor had the daunting task of keeping Buddy Franklin quiet after Tom Lonergan’s late withdrawal, but his job was made much more bearable thanks to the brilliant work of Lachie Henderson, whose football smarts aided him in knowing exactly when and where he was required.
The five-point lead at quarter-time was quickly extended through Duncan who goaled from 35m out after receiving a 50m penalty, and a Daniel Menzel pass inside-50 was plucked by late inclusion Rhys Stanley, who kicked Geelong’s fifth of the night.
At that point the tackle count for the second quarter was 11-2 in the Cats’ favour and minutes later Dangerfield kicked his third of the night.
Duncan then followed up his brilliant work after his pass to Hawkins was dropped and his second goal made it 30 points, but more pain was to follow for the Swans after Tom Stewart and Andrew Mackie combined to find Zac Smith 20m out from goal, with his towering mark and conversion continuing the Cats ascendancy.
Stewart received rapturous applause after three repeat efforts from defensive-50, the wing and up to the forward flank, and just a week after being shown up by Dustin Martin the 24-year-old redeemed himself in less than 30 seconds of courageous gut-running.
Sydney then found a goal against the flow of play through 300-gamer Jarrad McVeigh, but with less than a minute in the half Dangerfield soared onto the shoulders of Nic Newman to remind the footy world that he is in no hurry to give away his position at the top of the competition’s pecking order.
His fourth major of the evening made the margin 36 points at half time and in a matter of an hour Geelong had transformed its sub-par performance from a week earlier to have the game in its keeping.
A four goals to one third quarter then stretched the difference on the scoreboard out to 49 points at the final change and solidified the Cats stranglehold on the contest, and in the process erased the demons of its past three losses to the Swans.
Two defensive acts in the last quarter from Mark Blicavs and Rhys Stanley — tackles in Geelong’s forward half that resulted in shots on goal — highlighted the collective change in mindset on a night where the Cats unequivocally out-Sydneyed Sydney.
Adelaide now awaits, but this was mission accomplished for Scott and his team.
Like Walt Whitman wrote in O Captain! My Captain! “our fearful trip is done; the ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won.”