Cats can’t let Suns eclipse finals push
HOW important Geelong’s fabled home ground advantage is has been debated consistently in recent years and, as the Cats prepare for what looms as a crucial final game at GMHBA Stadium for the near future, answers are not far away.
In the past, fans would have scoffed at the thought that a Round 5 game at home against Gold Coast could be seasondefining, but the early writing is on the wall for Geelong.
With COVID-19 throwing the fixture into chaos, it’s unknown when the Cats will return to play at home.
When the post-coronavirus fixture was first released, Geelong licked its lips at the prospect of three games at
GMHBA Stadium in the first four weeks as a way to set up its season before inevitable travel.
“It’s a competitive advantage and one we will hope to take full advantage of,” Cats defender Tom Stewart said in May.
“Getting three out of four (games) here and obviously one at the ’G as well is pretty exciting.”
The slip-up against Carlton means the Cats didn’t take the full advantage that was offered to them.
The Round 6 match against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium is in doubt now due to Victoria’s COVID-19 outbreak, and with a month in Perth on the horizon, Geelong can’t afford to leave home at 2-3.
So often in the remarkable win-loss sequence that began in Round 14 last year, the Cats have returned to GMHBA Stadium, licked their wounds and pieced together a reassuring victory.
The Cats can squeeze their opponents on the skinny home turf and know how to o attack it, but at times appear lost when trying ying to score away from home, as was seen against the Demons last weekend.
Since the win-loss streak began with a loss to Port Adelaide in Round 14, 2019, Geelong has averaged just 67.2 points in games away from GMHBA Stadium and only scored more than 100 once.
Saturday presents a golden chance to blow off the cobwebs at home.
Whil While the h Suns’ defence has been excellent in the past three weeks in familiar surrounds, Tom Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea will believe they can get a hold of an undersized opposition defence.
In the past two seasons combined, Geelong has gone 14-16 away from its home ground. A winning percentage like that after this weekend, and there will be no finals appearance in 2020.