Tom off leash in Danger plan
ADELAIDE will be ready for Patrick Dangerfield.
The Crows are going to have a strategy around it. Whether Dangerfield starts forward, midfield, off the square or on the bench, the Crows will have a plan, unlike the Swans, who were completely ill-prepared to handle what was thrown at them last Friday night.
But regardless of the planning and regardless of how much knowledge they know as former teammates, the question is: can you stop the best one-onone player inside forward 50 in the game?
Dangerfield is so much better than everyone else one-on-one that sometimes no level of planning will stop him.
Tom Hawkins did not have a good game goal-wise, but he cleared the path to allow Dangerfield to be a lead-up player.
So, all of a sudden, does Hawkins have a couple of good opportunities to lead and mark now that Adelaide’s defenders will be worried about Dangerfield?
We saw last week that Sam Menegola edged forward and marked effectively uncontested because Dangerfield had drawn about three Sydney defenders paranoid about his early influence. It’s the classic domino effect. Suddenly Hawkins is being considered as the second forward, which is a dream position for him to be in because we all know what a star he is when he is up and firing.
The Dangerfield tactic was coaching brilliance from Chris Scott and his team. It took some guts. The Cats were beaten around the ball against Richmond and the Swans are the kings of the contest, so for the Cats to take out a contested bull was always fraught with danger.
Had Geelong been four goals down at quarter-time because the ball never went forward, then we would be having a completely different discussion. But it worked. Last time Geelong went to Adelaide, the decision to leave Rory Sloane all by himself backfired. In the previous weeks, the school of thought had been that he struggled against closechecking opponents. But the Cats gave him a leave pass and he took full advantage.
Geelong cannot do that again.
I’d be putting Mark Blicavs on him — the man who completely took Josh Kennedy apart last week.
There is no way in the world Geelong will make the same mistake again. It doesn’t have to be a heavy tag, it just has to be a super accountable defensive effort with the potential to push forward.
Blicavs is the perfect opponent for Sloane. If I’m Scotty, I’m telling Blicavs to run Sloane around until he blows up.
Sloane has not played a match since late August, so his lungs are going to feel like they’re going to explode by the end of the first quarter, especially if he is playing on a guy like Blicavs who could easily cover 4-5km.
Then there’s the consideration around the number of tall players Geelong takes in.
Rhys Stanley was recalled and had an impact. He did everything that could have been asked of him at late notice. With Tom Lonergan set to return and Tom Stewart very much in the frame despite his hamstring issue, the Cats have an abundance of available talls.
Harry Taylor last week showed why he remains one of the best key defenders of the modern era with his job on Lance Franklin.
Back in defence, it was as though nothing had changed. It was a reminder of his quality.
That makes for a tall backline, though, if they all play down there — Taylor, Lonergan, Henderson, Stewart, Jake Kolodjashnij and Andrew Mackie — but it’s why Geelong matches up so well on Adelaide’s tall forward line of Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch.
Even if there’s no direct match-up for Taylor, I think he could play the spare man across half-back to absorb the early heat that may come.
Zach Tuohy went to Eddie Betts last time but the Cats also have Jed Bews for the role and Bews, I feel, is in career-best form.
Geelong just has to start the game early. It’s sold out with 55,000 fans, 90 per cent of whom will be parochial Adelaide supporters. Adelaide Oval really is the loudest place in the world when it’s up and going.
The Cats have to stay in the game as long as possible. Because the longer the game goes on, and the closer the Cats are, the higher the nerves will be for Adelaide.
The Crows finished on top of the ladder, won their first final convincingly, earned the week off, they’re playing at home, they’re expected to win, the Cats are travelling, it’s a huge occasion. A huge opportunity awaits.