Geelong falls further from top 8 after revenge game
GEELONG faces an uphill battle to make it back into the top eight after Fitzroy Doncaster got revenge for a smashing the last time it came to town.
The Lions were forced to chase leather as the Cats racked up 8-421 in the preliminary final at Geelong last year.
So Fitzroy Doncaster coach Michael O’Sullivan said his side had plans to bat first — and bat long — when it arrived at Geelong Cricket Ground last week and was surprised to find a bowler’s pitch.
The Cats were behind the game after they were bowled out for 203 last week and a century from Lions opener Jack Rudd (134 not out) on Saturday meant the visitors cruised to victory and even flirted with an outright win.
“Things went our way last week when we won the toss and there was definitely a bit in the deck,” O’Sullivan said.
“I thought we did very, very well to get out of last weekend with just three wickets down and the track was different this week. It was very hard.
“We have mucked up a couple of results this year that have set us back, so we thought if we got ahead we would have a crack at them.”
Geelong was sent back in after Fitzroy Doncaster declared 50 runs ahead at 4-253.
After the Cats lost 3-19 to fall from 0-40 to 3-59, Hayden
Butterworth (40 not out) and Tom Jackson (33 not out) steadied and guided the home side to stumps on 3-133.
“We took (3-19) at one stage and there were a couple of play-and-misses, so another wicket there and you never know, but it’s almost impossible to get an outright in Geelong,” O’Sullivan said.
The loss moved Geelong to 11th on the ladder, with Fitzroy Doncaster leaping into ninth.
A crunch game against Northcote, 10th, looms next week for the Cats.
Captain Eamonn Vines returned to the side on Saturday and made 11, and now faces a nervous wait to see if he will be required by Victoria for its Sheffield Shield match against New South Wales, which begins on Friday.
If Vines is retained by the state side, Angus Boyd will likely be brought back in for Geelong after compiling 94 in the seconds.