Squad to bond as the Cats fly
IT’S MORE THAN LUCK
A CHANCE to bond six weeks out from finals is the key reason behind Geelong’s decision to travel direct from Sydney to Perth after Sunday’s game against the Swans.
With Geelong’s VFL team having a bye, a squad of at least 26 will fly to Sydney this weekend.
The club will then enact a plan decided when the fixture was released in October to travel direct to Perth and spend the week together.
“Our hope was we’d be having a pretty good year and that would, to an extent, mitigate the travel with the six-day break,” Cats coach Chris Scott said.
“But that’s not the main reason — we’re not worried about our ability to get the guys off back-to-back travels.
“The reason for going to Perth straight from Sydney more was to take the opportunity, as we do most years, to have the best part of a week with an extended squad together and get us organised for a tilt at the end of the year.
“It’s nice that we will get that chance to spend a little bit more time together and I think that’s the upshot. When you are on the road, there’s that extra opportunity just to come together a little bit more, so we’re looking forward to it.”
Scott Selwood, Zac Smith, Quinton Narkle and Sam Menegola will be part of the travelling party, with Menegola not in the squad to play against the Swans but a chance to take on Fremantle.
The Cats last night named Smith, Selwood, Narkle, Lachie Henderson, Sam Simpson and Jack Henry in an extended squad, which will be trimmed to a final 22 this afternoon.
Defender Zach Tuohy and forward Gary Rohan, both managed, come out of the side.
Smith’s performance against the Swans in Round 11, when the Cats won the clearance numbers by 13, put him in a strong position to regain the ruck mantle.
“He played well and the stoppage numbers were good as well,” Scott said.
“Their brand has been built around contest and stoppage work and that was one of the best stoppage games we had for the year, big scores from stoppage numbers.
“I think it’s unfair to say it was from one player but it doesn’t hurt he was playing in the ruck that day.”
However, Brandan Parfitt is still recovering from a back injury that saw him miss the game against Hawthorn.
“That one’s a bit more complicated than we would have hoped,” Scott said.
“Still short-term, he won’t play this week, might be in doubt for the week after but that’s the extent of it.”
TOM Hawkins never really pictured himself in this position.
As a rising power forward, Hawkins (pictured) watched champions like Joel Corey, Matthew Scarlett and Corey Enright celebrate their 250game milestones.
But could a kid from Finley get there? Don’t be silly.
On Sunday, Hawkins will notch his 250th game, etching his name as a champion of the club and one of the best key forwards in Geelong’s proud history.
The 31-year-old, who joined the club as a father-son selection, labelled reaching the milestone as “surreal”, becoming the 18th player in Cats history to reach that mark.
Amazingly, 11 of his former teammates have also played 250 games, a nod to the dynasty of success at Kardinia Park since 2007 — the season he arrived.
“It’s a funny one. It’s a bit surreal when you’re a currentday player and you reach milestones,” Hawkins, a two-time AFL premiership winning Cat, said.
“There’s some big ones in your career. For me, it’s playing your first game, then playing the same amount of games as my dad (Jack, 182).
“I’ve seen a lot of my past and present (teammates) — Joel (Selwood) and Harry (Taylor) play 250 recently. And when I was 21/22, Joel Corey and Matty Scarlett were playing their 250ths.
“I couldn’t imagine I’d be in that position myself. It is very humbling, and I’ve certainly had a lot of luck along the way.
“But, in saying that, there’s been a lot of hard work that goes into playing 249 games. And I continue to keep working as hard as I can.
“I think it’s something I’ll be able to enjoy personally in 10 years’ time when I’m coming back to the footy and watching the mighty Cats play.”
But rather than looking in the rear-view mirror, Hawkins has his eyes cast on the future and what else he can contribute to the Cats.
Out of contract at the end of 2020, Hawkins has flagged his desire to keep playing, saying he has no intention of retirement.
And that should be a relief, given Hawkins is in some of the best form of his career.
According to Champion Data, Hawkins rates as the third-best key forward in the AFL when taking into account all of his statistics.
He rates as elite in the competition for marks inside-50 (2.8), forward-50 ground ball gets (1.9), goals (2.5), score assists (1.9) and score involvements (7.5).
Only GWS star Jeremy Cameron and West Coast’s Jack Darling are higher in the AFL player ratings.
“I think he’s in the best headspace and the best physical shape I think I’ve seen him,” Geelong coach Chris Scott said yesterday.
“It’s a reminder to him and us that we should be as individualised in our approach as we possibly can, not worry about