BLICAVS RAISES FINALS ALARM

GEELONG defender Mark Blicavs says the Cats’ leaders need to take more responsibility on the ground as they deal with being seen as the AFL’s major scalp.

The Cats were battered and bruised after being hunted by a tenacious Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday, losing to the Dockers by 34 points.

Geelong could not cope with the pressure that descended in the second quarter, with the Dockers kicking 11 of the last 14 goals to run out comfortable victors.

Playing a largely no-name forward-line, the historically low-scoring Dockers kicked their highest score since Round 13 and their fourthhighest score of the season.

While the Cats surged to premiership favouritism after an 11-1 start to the season, their recent form has raised genuine concerns about their ability to compete in finals.

Geelong has won just three of seven matches since the bye, with all four losses to sides outside the top eight.

Blicavs said opposition teams had started to throw tactical curveballs at the Cats as they search for a chink in Chris Scott’s men’s armour, and that Geelong’s leaders needed to be better at communicating what their opponents were doing out on the ground.

“I think teams are trying new things against us, taking the game on,” Blicavs said.

“We are not responding quick enough in games. We are trying to prep as well as we can pre-game, but in games as a team (we need to improve and identify) whether they are trying to go through the middle, whether they are trying to hit the shorts, whatever it is.

“We are not responding quick enough as players. So that probably falls back on the leadership group and we’ve just got to be better.

“We don’t expect Jordan Clark or Gryan Miers to recognise that in the early stages of their career, but we expect myself, Harry (Taylor), Danger (Patrick Dangerfield), Sel (Joel Selwood), whoever it might be, to then get us in at goal breaks and say ‘This is happening, this is what they are trying, let’s cut out this, or let’s do this’.

“There’s a few good discussions to be had in the next couple of weeks, but you’ve got to move on quickly because we play North in a week’s time.”