Defence set for tough job
WHEN football returns to GMHBA Stadium tonight, fans will notice many changes.
Apart from the fact seats will not be filled, there will be shorter quarters, less physical contact between teammates and an atmosphere unlike we have experienced in Geelong.
But one thing that will not have changed will be the headaches Hawthorn’s forwards will create for Cats defenders.
Sure, there are some they will not have seen in brown and gold before, such as former Giant Jonathon Patton, but the list of players capable of causing damage runs just as deep.
Patton aside, there is Tim O’Brien, Luke Breust, Paul Puopolo and Chad Wingard, as well as the always lethal Shaun Burgoyne.
Geelong backline coach Matthew Scarlett believes Breust is one of the game’s premier small forwards, and it is clearly a potent mix that Hawthorn mastermind Alastair Clarkson has at his disposal.
But so, too, does Scarlett, who says the Cats are fortunate they have such an ideal mix of defenders to try to contain the Hawks in attack.
“Obviously they have a couple of key recruits, Jonathan Patton this year, and Chad Wingard previously, who will be down there in the forward line and they will spend a fair bit of time down there,” he said.
“That is two quality players they have added to their forward mix but they have O’Brien as well who looks like he will be a really good player.
“Then they have their dangerous smalls who have been there for quite a long time like Breust, Puopolo and Burgoyne, and they are guys we need to defend really well.
“Breust is one of the best small forwards in the competition, so we really need to keep a close eye on him.
“But we are lucky because we have a flexible group of defenders who can play on all different types and they have shown they have the ability to play on both talls and smalls.
“Blitz (Mark Blicavs) and Harry (Taylor) will do the job on those two key position players for us and then ( Tom) Stewart, (Mark) O’Connor and (Jack) Henry can mix and match on the others.
“They are a very versatile group so we are pretty lucky.”
Another new experience for Geelong and Hawthorn fans will be the novelty of seeing their two sides play on the narrow GMHBA Stadium — a rarity unseen since 2006.
Scarlett says the Hawks will have little trouble adjusting from their more familiar MCG surrounds.
But the Hall of Famer said one of the changes that could come into play as a result of the AFL’s modified rules, or more specifically the duration of quarters and matches, was the tradition of a player going with an opponent for the whole game — something he was backing the Cats to adapt to well.
“They might have a bit more of a direct match up on their forward counterparts I guess,” he said.
“I think the midfielders will go really hard through the middle and then come off for a spell, but in the old format they probably moved forward and rested for periods in the game.
“I am not quite sure that will happen as much, so it looks like Hawthorn might have a really steady six or seven in the forward line and we will probably have that in our backline as well, so you might see some really good match-ups.
“With the ground, it is a bit skinnier than the MCG, which they use really well, and it is going to be quite hard for them at times to play the game they want to play.
“But I am sure they will adjust and they would have been training on a skinnier oval and they will be ready to go so it will be a great match-up.”