UNDER-FIRE MOTLOP IS OUT
Cats give out-of-form Motlop a spell in bid to find his lost spark
GEELONG coach Chris Scott admits Steven Motlop’s form had been a cause for concern as the Cats last night gave the polarising speedster a week off.
Motlop, whose performance against Adelaide prompted calls for him to be dropped, was one of five changes made for tomorrow night’s clash against Carlton.
While Motlop has officially been “managed”, the Cats have run out of patience and axed ruckman Rhys Stanley, despite the loss of Mark Blicavs to a broken leg.
Zach Guthrie (dropped) and Daniel Menzel (general soreness) are also out of the side, with Andrew Mackie, Wylie Buzza, Nakia Cockatoo, Brandan Parfitt and Jackson Thurlow all coming in.
“(Motlop) is not playing as well as we think he can and as well as we think he will toward the end of the year,” Scott said.
“We’ve got to think about how we manage him, and there are a few players on our list in that category.
“It’s not just about form with ‘Mots’, it’s generally more complicated than that, so we’ll put together a plan that we’re confident will have him at least in full health towards the end of the season, and if he is that, then we’re confident he can more than just contribute.”
Scott added that Blicavs’s ankle injury would leave a void in his side.
“It’s frustrating for us because he’s such a flexible player that can play multiple positions,” he said.
“We’d clearly prefer to have him. The good news is it doesn’t require surgery, so he’s a live possibility towards the end of the year if we’re good enough to qualify.
“But we do have options to replace him.”
Carlton defenders Caleb Marchbank and Simon White return after overcoming shoulder and knee injuries respectively.
Nick Graham (omitted) and Harrison Macreadie (managed) are out.