Problematic Cats still find way to win
BULLDOGS ROUND 9 GEELONG V WESTERN
T. Hawkins, 4; D. Fort, G. Rohan, M. Duncan, 3; G. Ablett, 2; B. Parfitt, C. Constable, C. Guthrie, G. Miers, P.Dangerfield, R. Abbott.
M. Bontempelli, M. Wallis, 2; A. Naughton, B. Gowers, E. Richards, J. Johannissen, J. Trengove, L. Hunter, S. Lloyd, T. Liberatore, T. McLean.
M. Duncan, T. Hawkins, T. Stewart, G. Rohan, P. Dangerfield, T. Kelly, J. Selwood.
M. Wallis, B. Smith, L. Hunter, M. Bontempelli, J Johannissen. 31,373 at GMHBA Stadium. ANOTHER week, another Cats win — but is Geelong the best team in the competition?
For the second week in a row — and not just the second time this season — Geelong’s accuracy in front of goal has played an influential part in the result.
The question, then, is sustainable?
Coach Chris Scott admitted post-game he was taking a pessimistic view about his side’s form, with the stats sheet again looking unfavourable to Geelong outside of the scoreline.
The Dogs won clearances 44-35, won the centre clearances 21-13 and had just as many inside-50s as the Cats with 50 apiece.
Yet, Geelong’s firepower up front — 21.7 (133) to 13.11 (89) — makes it not only the most accurate forward line in the competition at the moment, but also the most efficient.
In what’s becoming a running trend, the Cats had 5.0 on the board from their first nine inside-50s, with the likes of Tom Hawkins (four goals), Gary Rohan (three) and Gary Ablett (two) proving practically unstoppable at times.
Darcy Fort joined the mix for his debut game and ended up with three majors, one more than Esava Ratugolea has produced in eight rounds, to show that Geelong’s second tall forward spot remains up for grabs.
Geelong’s backline also can’t be questioned, with Tom Stewart and Mark Blicavs in All-Australian form, Mark O’Connor in the best form of his emerging career, Harry Taylor and Jake Kolodjashnij doing their jobs and Zach Tuohy warming back into his body.
But despite the 44-point final margin, this wasn’t a onesided game.
So where are the weak links?
It’s not common to hear this about a Cats team boasting Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Tim Kelly and Mitch Duncan, but Geelong’s midit field again remains the question mark.
Jack Macrae (29 disposals), Mitch Wallis (29), Bailey Smith (28) and Lachie Hunter (26) were the four highest ballgetters on the ground, while Wallis and Marcus Bontempelli were the Dogs’ top goalkickers with two apiece.
The centre clearances numbers were also significant, and while the Cats had an inexperienced ruck duo in Ryan Abbott and Darcy Fort sharing the duties, so too did the Dogs, who had second-string ruckman Jackson Trengove covering for the absent Tim English.
Charlie Constable and Cameron Guthrie (11 disposals each) were both below their best against a Western Bulldogs midfield that ran deeper on Saturday night.
The Cats knew the Dogs would come into the game with a plan to possess the footy, sprint off half-back, switch the play and bring the ball back through the corridor. But time and time again it was left to the backline to limit the damage.
There is a silver lining, however, and that’s the Cats’ 8-1 start to the season. While such a record will plaster over any deficiencies, Scott would rather be banking the wins than searching for answers.
Gold Coast beckons next in a timely opportunity for the Cats to rediscover their best footy, and while it’s still May and we don’t need to see their absolute elite just yet, we do need to see Geelong play with a killer instinct that’s underlined by more than just an accurate scoreline.
Stoppage numbers, inside-50s and contested possessions will be crucial key performance indicators that Chris Scott will be looking to turn his glass half-empty outlook into a half-full one.