CATS’ WIN LIFTS BELIEF, DEES NOT PANICKING
GEELONG coach Chris Scott says winning a football “audit” against reigning premier Melbourne will provide his side with enormous belief that its system stacks up heading into the closing stages of the season.
The Cats scored a 28-point victory over the Demons at GMHBA Stadium to take top spot on the ladder.
It was Geelong’s seventh win on the trot and leaves them with a 4-2 record against top-eight teams in 2022.
The victory over Melbourne further highlighted the Cats’ evolution this season, with the side having lost to the Demons in each of the three matches they played last year – including an 83-point loss to the eventual premiers in the preliminary final.
“It was put to me that Simon Goodwin said during the week this game’s probably a bit of an audit for where his team’s at and we thought that’s a pretty good description,” Scott said.
“It doesn’t make us the best team in the comp because we beat them at home. But what it does say is the things we’ve been working on can stand up against the very best teams.”
Contest and clearance work were keys, as the Cats won clearances 54-36 and inside-50s 66-46 against a full-strength Melbourne midfield.
“If we didn’t break even in there, for a large portion of the night, we were going to be in trouble,” he said.
“For a long time before they became the premier team in the competition, they’ve been a great contest team and a go-forward and high inside-50 team. They can kind of overwhelm you a little bit.”
Geelong was also able to find other avenues to goal, holding a 12-point lead at three-quarter time despite no goals for Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron or Tyson Stengle.
“When you talk about playing what you face ... if you are less focused on one or two targets going forward, it’s much harder to read even when you got the best in the game and Lever’s probably pretty close to that and May and his mates,” he said.
“We kicked some ugly goals if you like, where their defence is so good that it’s hard to get it through easily. We just had to keep pressing and take the chances when they presented.”
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said his team was still in an “amazing position” despite falling to its fourth loss in six matches against Geelong.
Goodwin said there was no cause for panic in the Demons’ premiership defence. “The team that deserved to win won,” he said. “They dominated in a number of areas and as I said, you get a good audit against (the Cats) and we got that tonight.
Geelong pushed to the top of the ladder by percentage after a couple of late goals created a 28-point margin that, while a fair indication of possession, belied Melbourne’s proximity to the lead until the dying minutes.
But Goodwin said that clearance work against the top teams would be a priority in coming weeks.