Leading questions
Bold Swans expose key flaws among depleted Cats ranks
PERSPECTIVE is everything in football.
Heading into Saturday’s clash with Sydney, Geelong had won 18 of its past 20 matches at GMHBA Stadium.
The two losses came courtesy of the Swans. What does that mean? Chris Scott will tell you nothing. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps there is more to it than he would have us believe.
In any case, Sydney has had Geelong’s measure at its feared home ground when others have been unable to do much, if any, damage to the Cats.
But in those two matches Lance Franklin averaged seven disposals and one goal.
The star Swans forward has played more games against Geelong — 22 — than any other opponent. Yet, thanks largely to the efforts of Tom Lonergan, Franklin has kicked more goals against eight other clubs.
So, despite claims all week that Franklin’s absence was going to be too difficult for the visitors to overcome, it was hardly the loss some were claiming it to be. And Dan Hannebery? A great player, yes, but he has not been close to his best this season, averaging 20 disposals and 2.5 clearances a game from four hit-outs.
The talk all week that Sydney had been decimated was, on the face of it, overblown.
However, just for a minute consider the players Geelong had out of its side who would otherwise have been in its starting 22.
Key defenders Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson, midfield champion Gary Ablett, leading goalkicker and fourth on the Coleman Medal tally Dan Menzel, the versatile Cam Guthrie, midfield beast Scott Selwood, rising stars Brandan Parfitt and Nakia Cockatoo and small forward Lincoln McCarthy.
That is nine players who would walk into Scott’s team if fully fit. That should give people a little perspective.
Does it excuse the performance of the 22 players on Saturday? Hardly.
They were absolutely gutted after the match, and rightly so, for they knew they had let an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Swans slip.
But it gives an indication as to what Scott and his coaching staff has had to deal with in the first six weeks of the season.
In addition, the loss of George Horlin-Smith during the first half continued the run of the Cats losing players mid-match, stretching back to Round 1, when Taylor was ruled out late in the first quarter against Melbourne.
Would Horlin-Smith have been the difference on Saturday?
Not alone, but just like Taylor, Jack Henry in Round 2, Ablett, Guthrie and Cockatoo in Round 3, Cory Gregson in Round 4 and Selwood in Round 5, his loss reduced Geelong’s ability to properly rotate its players through the interchange and keep them fresh.
This is not to suggest the Cats have been batting as far above their average as Jason Gillespie did when he made his famous 201 not out against Bangladesh all those years ago, but while it mightn’t fully explain why they have been outscored in four of six final quarters this year, it does go some way to helping understand why it has happened.
Of course, personnel and fitness aside, Geelong has some issues that need addressing immediately.
Rhys Stanley’s inability to provide first use of the ball to his midfielders puts serious question marks on his position in the team. Quite apart from that, his lack of presence aerially during games is hurting the Cats greatly.
He is 200cm and leads the club in terms of how much he can bench press, so he is clearly a big, strong man.
It is just a shame he doesn’t use that to his or his teammates’ advantage on the ground, and while his ferocity at opponents when tackling is admirable — despite the fact he invariably gives away free kicks for high contact — he needs to bring more to the table because on Saturday he made Callum Sinclair look like Peter Moore.
Jordan Murdoch was another player who had an indifferent match, and while he should not have been penalised for winning the ball in the manner he did against Isaac Heeney — let alone earn a report — he won’t enjoy looking at the replay of Robbie Fox’s goal in the last quarter.
Murdoch has proved to be a hard and tough player on numerous occasions in the past, but his effort in that instance was not up to those standards, and like Stanley, questions need to be raised regarding what he adds to the side.
On Friday night, the Cats face GWS, which, like many teams this year, has been hard to read.
If the good Giants turn up though, Geelong needs to have fixed its midfield conundrum because it doesn’t matter how many fit men you have, if you give up seven centre clearances to none in a quarter, as it did in the final term on Saturday, restricting the opposition scoring is impossible.
That isn’t perspective, that is reality. THE Grand Final start time staying at 2.30pm. It would be amazing to see the AFL rule out changing the start time of our sport’s biggest day permanently, but the reality is this is a year-by-year situation that will inevitably and sadly move to suit the interests of non-football parties. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t savour the daytime spectacular and all that it entails while it lasts. From the grand final marathon on TV the night before to the grand final breakfast, then the BBQ lunches and walk to the MCG in blazing sunshine, kickto-kick at half time, and soaking up success or defeat with a few afternoon beers, it truly is the best day on the football calendar.