VITAL SIGNS
Crunch time for out-of-contract Horlin-Smith
LUCKLESS Geelong midfielder George Horlin-Smith says he will not let his contract situation distract him from what he recognises as the most important year of his career.
Horlin-Smith has not had a clean bill of health for a whole season since 2014, when he played 21 of his 47 AFL games so far, including two finals.
The 25-year-old has managed just 15 matches in the past three seasons as he has battled with form, regular game time and knee and ankle injuries.
Horlin-Smith comes out of contract at the end of the season but he said given how much pressure players already carried into games he would not let that divert his attention from playing his role for the team.
“It’s certainly important (the 2018 season) from a contract perspective but if you think about the macro and the micro, and your performances from week to week, the contract side of things is not for me to control,” Horlin-Smith said.
“You work towards it, obviously, and try to do what is needed for the team, and the rest goes on in the background. There are a lot of things at play but you don’t want to go into games distracted and clouded in your thinking.
“It is an incredibly high-pressured game and you need to go in with a really simplistic mindset, so to worry about those things in pressure mo- ments can affect your performance.
“I’d love to have a really consistent season and be a reliable player. More than anything you play to have the trust of your teammates and to know that when you’re out there they can rely on you to do what is required at that point of time.
“For me it’s about making sure that I am clean and when I am in the contest I’m an effective player.”
THE Geelong Football Club made the trip down the Princes Highway to Colac yesterday for its annual community camp.
The Cats held their main training session at the recently upgraded Central Reserve, home to the Colac Football Club, before signing autographs and taking pictures with the hundreds of local fans who turned out to support their heroes in action.
Geelong coach Chris Scott watched on as midfield stars such as Gary Ablett, Mitch Duncan and Joel Selwood put on a masterclass in match simulation drills, while reigning Carji Greeves medallist Patrick Dangerfield was also a highlight.
The Cats will continue their work in Colac today with visits to local primary schools, where they will hold clinics with boys and girls no doubt keen to show their wares in front of some big name stars.
Geelong will play its final pre-season match — the second JLT Series game — against Essendon at Central Reserve on Sunday, March 11, as part of the Country Festival, and Selwood joked yesterday with former Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy that he hoped the training run would give the Cats an advantage in the clash.