SEIZE YOUR CHANCE

Victim of prelim losses urges Cats to stand tall

FORMER Geelong captain Ian Nankervis has urged the Cats to seize the day against Adelaide as they seek a berth in their first grand final since 2011.

Nankervis, pictured right, was part of consecutive preliminary final defeats in 1980 and 1981, and despite playing a then-record 325 games for Geelong, never played in a grand final. The Cats have lost their past two preliminary finals.

FORMER Geelong captain Ian Nankervis has urged the Cats to seize the day against Adelaide on Friday night as they seek a berth in their first grand final since 2011.

Nankervis was part of consecutive preliminary final defeats to Collingwood in 1980 and 1981 and despite playing a then record 325 games for Geelong from 1967 to 1983, never played in a grand final.

His 3-6 record in finals was the only blemish on one of the club’s finest careers, but Nankervis conceded that during his time Geelong was too busy looking at the week ahead instead of staying in the moment, and said his message to the current crop of Cats’ stars would be to treat the match as any normal game.

“I would be advising them not to worry or think about what it means in terms of playing in a grand final (if they win) because the result will take care of itself,” Nankervis said.

“Just continue to look at the game plan and stick to that. Adelaide are a side that thrives on the fact they like to have fast starts and the sides that have had success against them seem to be been able to restrict that initial onslaught and then it settles down.

“People say finals are different and to a certain extent they are but you don’t become any quicker or any stronger. You’re basically just doing the things you’ve been coached to do and sticking to a game plan, and I’m sure that’s what the message will be.

“It’s a cliche but it is just another game and if they follow the team plan that little bit extra then at the end of the game hopefully they’ll sit down and say by doing that we now have the opportunity to play in a grand final.”

Now living in Queensland, Nankervis watched on with pride as Geelong took apart Sydney last week, and said he would be doing everything he could to get down to Melbourne if the Cats get up against the Crows.

“I take my hat off to the coaching staff because they created something dangerous up forward — excuse the pun — and it created another avenue,” he said.

“That’s really what they need, is just that extra firepower up there and the aggressive tackling was just fantastic. “It was a great team effort.” Geelong won four out of the five preliminary finals it played between 2007 and 2011 but has lost its past two, to Hawthorn in 2013 and Sydney last year.