GIANT KILLERS
Cats make flag contenders look like pretenders
GREATER Western Sydney took on Geelong as a premiership contender, but was left exposed as a pretender after a 61-point belting.
The Cats never really hit top gear in front of 25,079 fans at GMHBA Stadium last night, but were far too good for the disappointing Giants, cruising to a 14.9 (93) to 4.8 (32) win.
GWS has suffered larger losses in its seven-year history, but its three-quarter time score of 2.7 was its lowest since joining the AFL.
Geelong showed no sign of last week’s final-quarter fade out, completing the demolition job that bumped its percentage from 110.22 to 121.09.
Cats coach Chris Scott had contributors across every line. Mitch Duncan (33 disposals), Joel Selwood (25) and midfield revelation Tim Kelly (30) led the way in the middle while Patrick Dangerfield spent plenty of time inside attacking 50 and finished with 26 touches and two goals.
Tom Hawkins was the most dangerous forward on the ground, kicking four goals.
But he faces a nervous wait after he made contact with an umpire after he clattered into Nick Haynes in the second quarter.
WHILE Star Wars fans celebrated May the Fourth yesterday, it was the Cat Empire that struck back in emphatic fashion at GMHBA Stadium last night.
Fresh from a disappointing last quarter that saw Sydney kick seven goals to one last week, Geelong started strongly and continued in that vein for the majority of the night, prevailing by 61 points against a depleted GWS outfit.
This was a match the Cats simply had to win.
It was almost a case of “do, or do not, there is no try”, for trying and coming up short in consecutive rounds would not have meant much in the grander scheme of the season.
All week commentators had called for Zac Smith to be recalled to help ease the Cats’ clearance woes, but his late withdrawal gave Rhys Stanley a reprieve and combined with defensive Jedi Scott Selwood, that pair contributed enormously to the transformation of their team’s work at stoppages.
The criticism of Geelong in recent weeks had been that it did not set up well enough defensively through the middle of the ground, but there were enough signs last night that the mindset had changed.
Geelong’s ability to structure up better around the ball and direct teammates was on display from the beginning of the game and was there for all to see throughout the contest.
The final clearance count was 38 apiece but the leakages of last week were non-existent.
What stood out above all else last night though was Geelong’s capacity to set up its zone with the military precision of the Galactic empire.
The Cats executed the type of pressure that wins finals and simply refused to allow the Giants to pass through the centre of the ground — the inside-50 count at quarter time was 19 to six and at half time 29 to 19. It finished at 62-44. Those types of differentials in Geelong’s favour were last seen in a galaxy far, far away.
It was curious to see Jonathan Patton spend as much time in the ruck as he did given the lack of tall forward options at Leon Cameron’s disposal because it played into the Cats’ hands perfectly.
When you add into the mix their defensive group’s ability to read the play as well as any other back six or seven in the competition, and their willingness to leave their direct opponent in order to effect a spoil or, as was more often the case take a mark — there were 20 intercept marks to two in defensive-50 — it made it all the more bizarre.
That decision is for Cameron to live with though and all Geelong could do was compete against the opposition it was lined up against.
Whether or not it made Jack Henry’s job easier is debatable, but irrespective, he continued his rapid rise as a young defender and while there are eight more games left this round, he must surely be a contender for a Rising Star nomination.
His final numbers — 18 disposals, 11 marks, three rebound-50s and three tackles — speak to a player more than comfortable at the highest level.
It should also be noted that there were two acts within the space of a minute when Geelong was 50 points up that highlighted the difference in mindset between the two sides after half time.
Firstly Joel Selwood won a hard ball to set up a chain of possessions on the Brownlow Stand wing that resulted in a long pass into space.
From there, Patrick Dangerfield sprinted as if the Cats needed a match-saving goal to win and while the ball eventually spilled out of bounds, his commitment, like that of Selwood moments earlier, sent a strong message both to his opponents and his teammates.
Of course there is an argument that GWS was without Jeremy Cameron, Toby Greene, Josh Kelly, Tom Scully, Brett Deledio, Rory Lobb and Zac Williams, which is fair enough.
But when you consider that the Cats were without Gary Ablett, Harry Taylor, Lachie Henderson, Cam Guthrie, Nakia Cockatoo, Brandan Parfitt and Smith, it is difficult to mount a case that this match was destined to be a one-sided affair.
It was another tick for Chris Scott, and the curious thing with criticism of the Geelong coach not having a Plan-B is that often these same pundits complain of instability within the side — a sure sign that he is in fact exploring alternative options to try to come up with the best chance of winning.
At the end of a night that reminded doubters the Cats were still genuinely in the fight for the 2018 flag, he could have been forgiven for finding them and quietly offering some advice: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”