Hot in the contest for Cats
EMERGING midfielder Tim Kelly says Geelong will have to turn tomorrow’s clash with West Coast into a contested fight if it is to secure a valuable win on the road.
Both the Cats and Eagles have lost the clearance count in each of their opening two games and while West Coast smashed the Bulldogs in contested ball last weekend, Geelong is yet to win the contested possession count this season.
Shutting the Eagles down at the source will be crucial to the Cats’ chances in Perth.
“We’ve just got to get back to playing our best footy and have just got to make it a con- tested ball game,” Kelly said.
“Obviously Nic Nat is going to be pretty dominant and probably give their midfielders first look, but we’ve just got to be able to adapt.
“If you don’t win it in the middle then it’s an inside-50 for the other team so that’s something we’ll try to fix.”
Kelly leads the league in score involvements after his first two matches in the AFL with 24, ahead of a handy pair in Lance Franklin and Dustin Martin, who have 22 apiece.
But the 23-year-old said he couldn’t afford to be content with just two good weeks and would be looking to continue his rich vein of form in his home state.
“I just play on instinct and I’ve played a couple of good games but the challenge for me has always been about backing it up each week,” he said.
“I’ve got some absolute champions around me and playing with guys like that brings you to another level.
“So I’m just really enjoying my footy at the moment.”