Forward into the future
IF Chris Scott could clone one player in his best 22, who do you think it would be?
Patrick Dangerfield? Joel Selwood? Gary Ablett? Mark Blicavs?
They are all good shouts, sure.
But the case is quickly mounting that Scott Selwood could be the most crucial Cat come finals.
We all know just what “Scooter” brings to Geelong’s midfield.
He can shut down the opposition’s best ball-winner. He is great at creating repeat stoppages with his tackle pressure. He is also more than capable of winning his own ball, especially in contested situations.
But his performance up forward against Fremantle on Saturday suggests he could be the man Geelong has been missing in attack.
Selwood had only 14 disposals, three tackles and did not kick a goal after spending 100 per cent of his game time forward in the win at GMHBA Stadium.
It may sound like a modest return, but what he brings to Geelong’s forward half is a little bit harder to measure than looking at the usual stats.
How Geelong’s forward line functions, or does not function, with and without the ball has more of an impact on its chances of winning than any other team in the competition.
The Cats have won nine of 11 matches when creating more than 20 forward-half intercepts, a winning percentage of 81 per cent.
That is 21 per cent above the AFL average.
They have a 3-7 record when creating 20 or fewer forward half turnovers.
Inside-50s are equally as important to Geelong this season and historically.
It has won only three of 10 games when losing the inside50 count this season, while it has won 9 of 11 matches when either equalling or winning the stat.
The Cats are the only team to rank that highly in that stat with Adelaide and North Melbourne competing for inside-50s importance.
In Geelong’s two best seasons under Scott since winning the 2011 premiership (2013 and 2016), it ranked No.1 for inside 50 differential.
While Joel Selwood, Zach Tuohy, Cam Guthrie, Brandon