Selwood picks bad time to scrap

IT might be the moment Geelong captain Joel Selwood lives to regret.

A reversed free-kick 100m off the ball, as Tom Hawkins was lining up for goal, 18 minutes into the third term, deflated the momentum the Cats had built after halftime.

Hawkins had only 15 minutes earlier, from the same spot, kicked the first goal of the third term to sway the tide back in Geelong’s favour.

While the Demons quickly responded with a mark and goal to Jake Melksham, the game turned into a dour one in the third stanza, as Chris Scott would have hoped.

That was until a Selwood

The Cat we had seen earlier in the year that was marking confidently out in front was gone.

There was talk he needed a rest late in the season, but he played through.

He was a shadow of himself last night, with Geelong struggling to get any meaningful ball forward early in the contest. The Cats had just 19 inside-50s in the first half.

But even as Geelong started to get a foothold in the game, Menzel was barely spotted.

Last night he was held goalless, missing a crucial shot on goal from 15m out directly in front midway through the third term. He seemed in two minds as he ran into an open goal, and he missed the sitter. Who knows if the momentum, which was starting to swing at the time, would have lifted the Cats back into the contest?

A nice group of repeat efforts during the third term was his sole highlight.

Ironically, it’s Menzel’s tackling and pressure that he has been most criticised for.

He finished with eight touches, two marks and that ugly miss.

What happens to Daniel Menzel from here?

Out-of-contract at the end of the season and with St Kilda rumoured to be sniffing around the unrestricted free agent, this might be the last time we see the livewire in blue-and-white hoops. brain fade — a moment of frustration after being closely checked all night — put a dent in the Cats’ dreams.

With Hawkins lining up for this third goal to slash the deficit to 14 points, the crowd erupted as it witnessed Selwood put Melksham in a head lock metres from the bench.

The high contact proved enough for the emergency umpire to turn the ball over, paying a Demons free kick down the ground.

If the Demons needed any more momentum, it came less than 60 seconds into the final term as Nathan Jones was on the end of a Christian Petracca handball to kick truly and send most of the 91,767 crowd into a frenzy.

There were other costly moments for the Cats, too.

Ryan Abbott had the chance to cut the margin from four goals to three at the 23rd minute mark of the second term, but missed his set shot, and less than 60 seconds later, Sam Menegola had a brain fade of his own, taking advantage from a free kick only to dribble his shot on goal into the behind post.

The moment of the match, however, went to Mitch Hannan in the final half-hour.

One-on-one against Lachie Henderson 80m out from the Demons goal, the former Blue slipped, allowing Hannan to run on to the ball, take three bounces and kick a tightangle sealer to send Melbourne into a semi-final showdown with Hawthorn. BRISBANE Lions are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of Lachie Neale, targeting his best friend Lincoln McCarthy from Geelong to further attract the Fremantle superstar. The Lions are planning to offer the out-of-contract but injury-plagued Cat a multiyear deal. McCarthy and Neale were sitting next to each other when they were drafted in 2011 and grew up together in South Australia. They have remained close ever since. Brisbane is keen on McCarthy in his own right, but believes luring him north could have the added benefit of attracting Neale across the country, too. It is understood McCarthy is aware of Brisbane’s interest and is open to a move, but is in no rush to make his mind up. COLAC Imperials’ Mark Stewart again tried his hand at Carlton Draught’s Barrel Time on the MCG. The local football journeyman had no success this time round, however, with his two torpedos falling short of the 50m mark in the quarter-time contest. The winner produced a spiralling kick that broke 63m to claim the competition. It was all the Demons early in the game. With the Cats down 20-1 and desperate for a spark, Jordan Murdoch set off like a hare from halfback, baulking Mitch Hannan, then for Cats fans, infuriatingly, hanging on to it for four more steps, giving the pursuing Aaron vandenBerg time to pounce. Ball! Geelong was having a mare. It peaked when Daniel Menzel won a free kick for illegal contact below the knees, 20m out, straight in front. The ball spilt out to Sam Menegola who took the advantage, but missed the goal, unbelievably finding the post instead.

Picture: MICHAEL KLEIN Pictures: MICHAEL KLEINE, SCOTT BARBOUR SKIPPER’S STUFF-UP: Joel Selwood gives away a free kick beside the bench just as teammate Tom Hawkins lines up for goal. tackle Gary Ablett caught in a a miss and Daniel Menzel after from straight in front. WAS Geelong backline coach Matthew Scarlett foxing with the opposition when he told K rock listeners pre-game that Mark Blicavs was going to play through the midfield? Darren Berry questioned Scarlett on what the Cats forward mix was going to look like against the Demons, alluding to the idea that Harry Taylor, Lachie Henderson and Blicavs were going to be too tall. Scarlett said Taylor’s return meant the Cats had to rejig their backline and use Blicavs on a wing or as an extra on-baller. But that proved wrong when Blicavs started at fullback, with defender Jake Kolodjashnij instead starting on the wing. Blicavs did pinch-hit in the ruck, but spent most of the night in defence.