Cats find their claws
HOW change.
Last week, as Geelong was being shown up by a youthful Fremantle outfit in Perth, North Melbourne players were busy celebrating their club’s 150th birthday.
Fresh off a unifying win against Hawthorn on the Friday night, the Kangaroos were feeling on top of the world.
The music in the rooms after the victory over the Hawks was so loud that radio journalists conducting postgame interviews were said to have battled to hear what the players were saying.
A week later, there was no music and no celebrations, just the bitter taste of defeat and the ignominy of delivering one of the most disappointing performances in the club’s recent history.
Because if a week is a long time in football, 89 years must feel like an eternity.
And yet, after nearly nine decades, a record North Melbourne fans hoped would never have been broken was eclipsed in dreadful fashion on Saturday night.
The stronger likelihood is that Kangaroos supporters probably never really thought their club’s lowest ever total was in danger of being ‘beaten’ but the 1.8 (14) score line guaranteed new coach Rhyce Shaw’s first entry into the record books was for all of the wrong reasons.
In hindsight it was probably no shock, given the way North Melbourne approached the contest, but then again it took quickly things can LACHIE YOUNG’S VOTES
Geelong’s eventual 55-point margin could have been far greater if not for some wayward kicking in front of goal, and while the same could be said of North Melbourne, Chris Scott’s men were dominant in all of the key areas they pride themselves on.
The Cats controlled the stoppages, winning the clearance count 46-26, conquered the territory battle, registering 62 inside-50s to 34, and won the fight for contested possessions 152-128.
They brought Quinton Narkle in with resounding success, saw Gryan Miers return to form with three goals and showcased again that it has an ace up its sleeve in Mark Blicavs, who spent the night in the ruck after the late withdrawal of big man Zac Smith.
It was hardly the freeflowing style of football many have said Geelong is best suited to, but as the race to secure a top-two spot heats up, four points is still four points, and Duncan said the Cats were beginning to edge closer to playing their preferred way.
“I think we just got back to playing our brand of footy,” he said.
“Around the footy the contested numbers were pretty good, clearance numbers (as well), and they are a really good stoppage side with Goldy (Todd Goldstein) and a couple of bulls in there. So I think that was probably the most pleasing part from the midfield point of view.”
The result means Geelong’s standing as ladder leaders remains intact, but a top-of-thetable clash with Brisbane now awaits, and the Cats will need to ensure things don’t change as quickly, or as dramatically, as they did for North Melbourne if they are to stay in first spot for another week. G. Miers 3, Q. Narkle 2, T. Hawkins 2, L. Dahlhaus, P. Dangerfield T. Goldstein. P. Dangerfield, Q. Narkle, M. Duncan, T. Hawkins, G. Miers S..Thompson, B. Cunnington, J. MacMillan. 21,664 at GMHBA Stadium.