FLAT OUT TO FINALS
Cats look for top gear on run home
IT is “full throttle” for Geelong in the final two weeks of the home-and-away season, despite a softer draw leading into the finals.
Geelong is one of three sides – alongside Fremantle and Richmond – in the current top eight to not meet a fellow finals-bound side in the final two weeks of the season.
The Cats face 11th-placed Gold Coast on Saturday, followed by West Coast (17th).
While Cats coach Chris Scott hinted at the weekend that one Geelong player would likely be rested against the Suns, otherwise he said the team would be “stable” as the Cats avoided tinkering on the eve of September.
The mantra within Kardinia Park has been to build form continuously before the finals, and even with Geelong likely to claim the minor premiership, defender Jed Bews said there was no way the ladder leaders would ease up in the next fortnight.
“It’s about the attention to detail and not lapsing because we are on top at the moment but you are only a game or two away from dropping that,” Bews said.
“It’s the time of the year when we are full throttle and want to hit that peak form going into finals. We think that’s pretty important.
“From my point of view it seems similar (to past years), but we just seem to be clicking.
“Our form is really good at this time of the year.
“We want to be doing the right things at the right time.”
The Cats have shot to the top of premiership betting after their 11-game winning streak. Bews (pictured) said he did not see a dominant side ahead of the pack at this point and the premiership was up for grabs if his side got it right when it counted.
“Last year, Melbourne were ahead of everyone; we felt and we thought our best was good enough, but this year it is so even,” he said.
“Any team can beat you but we don’t feel like there is one team that is ahead of anyone.
“We just think it is so even and we have to do everything right but it is wide open for us.”