Geelong Cats out to chase off Tigers

GEELONG will look to adopt its typical team-first defence attitude on Friday in a bid to shut down Richmond’s star-studded forward line at the MCG.

While Dustin Martin looms as the obvious threat at ground level, it is in the air where the Tigers have the potential to cause headaches via twin towers Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt.

But dual All-Australian defender Tom Stewart (below) says the Cats are confident they have the mix to limit the influence of Richmond’s forwards with their selfless approach.

“They have obviously got some superstar players ahead of the ball that we need to be wary of but the way we play as a collective and as a unit, we rely on each other to come off and help,” Stewart said.

“We will try to nullify them one-on-one when we have to, but the more we can … give each other a chop out in the air and on the ground, it is going to go a long way to helping us win.

“I think Blitz’s (Mark Blicavs) best capability is that he can play multiple positions so whether he is rolling through the defence or in the ruck it is a weapon we have.

“I think you will find though that Jack Henry might have had a growth spurt because it feels like he is our tallest defender when Blitz isn’t there and to be honest he is in career-best form. He has done some amazing things for us in the past but the way he is playing the game, he is as dangerous a defender as there is.

“So he can play multiple roles, I can play tall or small, Hendo (Lachie Henderson) will obviously play on a tall but I think the variety we have is a good mix and we may spend different parts of the game on different opponents.”

Friday’s clash is the first meeting between Geelong and Richmond since the 2020 grand final but Stewart said he did not believe the Cats needed any extra motivation given where they were at seven rounds into the season.