Drop-off since bye worrying

GEELONG premiership captain Cameron Ling says the Cats must turn around their form quickly if they are to have any impact in September.

Ling said Geelong was horrible after quarter-time in Saturday’s shock loss to Fremantle, their fourth defeat in seven matches.

“Form wise, it is very, very worrying for the Cats,” he said on 3AW.

“They tried to do a run-with on Nat Fyfe, they tried to match-up on Michael Walters, both of those players cut loose.

“Geelong didn’t even look like it, couldn’t get the ball inside-50, couldn’t defend Fremantle. It was a bad loss.”

Ling believes the Cats are running out of time to find form.

“The only way they can silence the finals form (criticism) and this slump is out on the footy field,” he said.

“It’s what they produce out on the football field and that needs to get rolling now.

“You just can’t turn it on first week of finals, it’s got to build into the finals.”

Club great Billy Brownless said yesterday the Cats had no excuses for the poor performance.

The Sunday Footy Show panel member said only five players had maintained their early-season form and suggested the Cats’ poor fourth quarter came down to intent.

“There’s no injuries. They’re playing virtually the same side they played earlier in the year. It’s just frustrating to watch,” Brownless said.

“I reckon there’s about five players since the bye that have played to the standard they did at the start of the year to now.

“Duncan, Selwood, Kelly, Dangerfield, ‘Hawk’ (Hawkins). All the others, and that includes Tom Stewart and (Mark) Blicavs, and these guys, they’ve just dropped away a bit.”

But Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd went further, saying the experienced Cats were also off the pace.

“The top end, I think, aren’t going as well as they were earlier in the year and the depth players as a result have been really, really poor,” Lloyd said.

“You think of how (Gary) Rohan has fallen away, (Esava) Ratugolea can’t get near it, (Tom) Atkins, (Gryan) Miers, the list goes on.

“I think it’s gone on for too long.”