Claws will be bared

MCG as big a test as the reigning premier

GEELONG will have to defy history to defeat Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.

Moments after the Cats wiped North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium last week, a venue they know so well, coach Chris Scott said his side would thrive on being the underdog against the Tigers this weekend.

There are two theories at play here: the first one being that the Tigers are pretty much unbeatable at the MCG; the second being Geelong is highly susceptible at the home of footy.

Since Round 22, 2014, Geelong has played 25 matches at the MCG for a slightly worse than 50-50 split, winning 12 and losing 13.

In that time, the Cats have won two out of every three games at the other venues.

Richmond has won its past 15 games at the MCG, unbeaten at the venue for what will be a year to the day on Sunday.

While the narrow Kardinia Park is such an advantage for the Cats, perhaps it is also proving to be something of a disadvantage because of the mixed results Geelong delivers at the MCG.

I always found that on the MCG, more than any other ground, you need to be brave and take the game on through the middle of the ground.

On the bigger grounds, unless you have the kicking skills of Hawthorn, teams can get trapped out wide, especially when teams squeeze up hard.

That can lead to hurried, and ultimately shallow, forward entires that leave you prone to turning the ball over, leaving you exposed on the counterattack.

The trick is, when you are kicking inside 50 at the MCG, it has to be a long, penetrating kick that goes to within 20m of goal. Any entry within that 40-60m range has to be to a player who can play on and quickly kick over the danger area, deep into the forward line.

Then, if it hits the deck, lock the ball in for dear life.

Geelong’s forward defensive pressure has been the best it has been for a while. Where it was probably a downfall of the Cats in the past, mainly because most of their small forwards were on the sidelines, the Cats are seeing the benefit of a relatively healthy injury list.

The balance looks right, with Brandan Parfitt, Lachie Fogarty, Jamaine Jones and Jordan Cunico all contributing, while Lincoln McCarthy and Cory Gregson are poised to return to the side.

The forward balance remains a work in progress but I think it is looking better with every week.

If Tom Hawkins was not best on ground against North Melbourne, he was seriously close. His movement was the best I’ve seen in a long time, so it appears the Cats have found a role that suits both him and the team brilliantly.

Hawkins is far more dangerous when he is moving towards the ball, when he has space to lead and when he can command the footy. Too many times he gets hung out to dry deep in attack when the footy is kicked on his head and he has two defenders hanging off him.

Hawkins provides the leadup target Geelong needs, and allows Patrick Dangerfield to be such a dangerous target in attack. Dangerfield is so explosive, so strong and so determined that he seriously looks like scoring every time the ball is kicked towards him.

The Dangerfield-Gary Ablett rotation is getting better by the week and, as a result, the midfield mix is improving.

It has been widely documented that since Round 4, the Cats have only conceded 54.8 points a game. That’s crazy. It’s hard to think of a defence functioning that well in a long time. Especially without Lachie Henderson and Harry Taylor.

But you only have to look back to the recent Essendon match to know that things can change quickly. That night the midfield pressure wasn’t where it needed to be and the defence paid the price. SUNDAY is arguably Geelong’s biggest test, playing a Richmond side that knows the MCG so well. The Tigers also bring a high-pressured brand of footy that has the potential to overwhelm the Cats, especially if the Tigers get the game on their terms early. At 8-4, and with a healthy percentage, Geelong can jump above the Tigers with a win on Sunday in a result that would go a long way towards locking away a top-four berth. Given the Cats’ shaky start to the season in the opening month, and all the injuries, it’s a strong place to be going into their bye. ISN’T it great to see when a coach and a club starts to get vindicated? There has been no coach under more pressure in recent years than Nathan Buckley. The pressure has not only come from the media, but rival supporters and, let’s be honest, many of the Magpie Army. He could easily have been moved on last year, but the Pies will now play finals if they perform as they did against Melbourne on Monday. THERE TH are still trust issues with Melbourne. The Demons De had won six in a row to jump into the top-four, to but trailed all day against Collingwood. The Th Magpies largely controlled the match and the th Demons were exposed without Jake Lever down do back. He’s not coming back this year, so perhaps pe it was a timely reminder for the Demons De that there’s still a fair way to go this year. ye All good teams hit a speed hump.