Cats stars to feast in open space

ONE of Geelong’s key midfielders for tonight’s inaugural AFLX series says the anticipated speed of the game should provide the space for stars such as Mitch Duncan and Tom Hawkins to thrive at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The Cats, who will take on Port Adelaide and Fremantle, have sent a relatively inexperienced side to South Australia for the series, with Duncan and Hawkins clearly the most experienced in the 18-man squad.

That duo will be crucial to Geelong’s hopes of succeeding tonight but Sam Menegola, who will form the nucleus of the Cats on-ball brigade with Duncan, Mark Blicavs, and debutant Tim Kelly, believes his team will be well suited to the AFLX format.

“The nature of it is there is going to be a lot less congestion around the footy and that changes a massive amount about how the game is played,” Menegola said. “It is going to be a pretty quick game and whether it will be up and back the whole time I’m not sure. There will definitely be fewer contests and less congestion.”