CATS’ RUCK MESS
Talls fall short, mids can’t win the footy
GEELONG’S last-quarter wipeout against Sydney has been blamed on a ruck crisis with little solution and a midfield without defensive qualities.
Geelong great Jimmy Bartel said yesterday the Cats were stuck between playing quality tap ruckman Zac Smith and a more athletic tall in Rhys Stanley. But premiership coach Paul Roos said the Cats desperately needed Scott Selwood back given its midfield had too many players without defensive traits.
The Cats lost the last 12 centre clearances against Sydney and all nine in the final quarter as the Swans poured on 7.3 in the final quarter.
Geelong has the worst clearance differential in the competition and concedes the most points from stoppages.
It also scores the most from stoppages in the AFL, meaning it plays a high-risk game that is heavily dependant on its fortunes at the stoppages with little middle ground.
Remarkably, Joel Selwood was in the centre square for eight of the nine final-quarter bounces, Patrick Dangerfield seven, Tim Kelly five and Mitch Duncan four.
They watched on as Josh Kennedy and Callum Sinclair destroyed the Cats, Sydney winning the clearances 16-5 in the final quarter.
Sinclair was in the centre square for all nine last-term bounces, Kennedy eight, Isaac Heeney six and Luke Parker four.
Smith played 21 games last year but was dropped after Round 1 for Stanley, who averages a goal a game but the sixth-worst hitout to advantage rate of all rucks this year.
“Sinclair was dominant in that last quarter. He was excellent,” Bartel told 3AW. “Do they go with the traditional ruckman and fix that problem in the centre bounce? Zac Smith is the best centre bounce ruckman at the Cats.
“The way they want to play their ruckmen Rhys Stanley and (Esava) Ratugolea, they like their athleticism around the ground and were hoping they are good enough in the centre bounce to make it up if we lose a hitout.
“(Stanley) had a 15-minute patch where he kicked a goal and was effective but in the last quarter Sinclair was great.”
Roos told Triple M without Scott Selwood, likely back next week after concussion, the Cats were boom or bust in the midfield.
“It’s part of the problem with Selwood, Duncan, all the offensive-type players. It doesn’t allow you to put a player on “Joey” Kennedy,’’ he told Triple M.
“In that instance, who is going to beat you? Kennedy. It’s hard to take away the opposition strengths when you have Dangerfield and Selwood in there.
“It’s a great problem to have but when the momentum shifts it’s hard to shift their mindset, as opposed to Scott Selwood’s mindset.”
Geelong takes on the Giants’ muchvaunted midfield on Friday night, with Gary Ablett keen to play.
He completed a solid running session on Saturday after spending the past few weeks strengthening his hamstring but is far from a certainty given Geelong’s cautious attitude.
Brandan Parfitt was also a late out with a sore foot, while Daniel Menzel will be considered after missing the clash with groin soreness.