Thurlow happy with buildup
EMERGING Geelong star Jackson Thurlow insists the side is ready for everything North Melbourne will throw at it tonight, despite nearly three weeks without a match.
The Cats have not played since being upset by Melbourne on June 21, with the club having the bye in round 13 before last week’s abandoned contest against Adelaide following the tragic death of Crows coach Phil Walsh.
But Tasmanian Thurlow – who this week inked a threeyear contract extension to keep him at Simonds Stadium until the end of 2018 – believes the group has more than made up for the lack of game continuity on the training track.
Geelong and the Roos clash at Etihad in what Thurlow has labelled a “must-win” affair, with the Cats sitting in 10th four points adrift of the top eight and North a spot below and six-shy of Adelaide.
“It’s been a really tragic thing that happened, no one really knows how you are meant to deal with these things but we are doing it the best way possible,” Thurlow said.
“We’ve had a couple of solid hit outs, we had a good training session Saturday and a good training session Tuesday.
“I think physically we are prepared.
“It is a really important game for us, one we really need to win.
“The boys are hoping it [the unusual longer break] will pay dividends later in the season, that we can be fresher and really play some good footy late in the year.
“We are expecting them to really come out firing ... they have some stuff to prove as well.”
While Geelong’s form has fluctuated from week to week — wins against Collingwood, Richmond and Port Adelaide on the road have been offset by falling to the likes of the Demons and the Roos at home — the consistency of Thurlow has shone through.
After his pre-season was derailed when he lacerated a kidney in a competitive drill last December, the former Launceston ball magnet didn’t make his season debut until round three.
Since then he has played every match, averaging 18.7 possessions at 82 per cent efficiency in a rebounding role across halfback, while he is second at the club for average rebounds at four per game.