DANGER ZONE? COY CATS TO KEEP CROWS GUESSING
GEELONG will keep Adelaide guessing as to where Patrick Dangerfield lines up in Friday’s preliminary final at Adelaide Oval.
Coach Chris Scott and Dangerfield are likely to sit down and map out a plan in the lead up to the door-die final.
Dangerfield ripped Sydney to shreds in last week’s semi-final, kicking 4.3 and having eight shots on goal in the first half.
But the Cats will be mindful not to become too predictable when it comes to their Dangerfield plan.
“He has played some great footy for us through the middle of the ground too,” skipper Joel Selwood said.
“It’s up to the coach I guess, and Patty will have a fair say in it too, on where he thinks he will best start.
“We obviously think he can stretch backlines because he is so dominant as a forward also, but I do like lining up next to him in the middle.”
Dangerfield has booted 43 goals this season to be Geelong’s second leading goalkicker behind Tom Hawkins.
Dangerfield started forward against Adelaide in Round 18, but that was after suffering a lower leg injury against Hawthorn the week before, where he camped in the forward line and kicked 5.6.
Selwood was confident the Cats could kick a winning score with or without Dangerfield inside forward 50.
“We’ve got a number of forwards … even looking up and seeing Dan (Menzel) the other night was a bonus,” he said. “Tom Hawkins, Rhys Stanley were grabbing the ball quite well the other night, also.
“We think we’ve got a forward line that can score quite heavily when we need to.”
For Selwood, a win on Friday night would give him a chance to lead Geelong out in a grand final as captain.
The veteran played a key role in the Cats’ victories in 2007, 2009 and 2011, but assumed the captaincy from Cameron Ling in 2012.
“You still dream,” he said. “It was a dream back then, as the career gets on and you are in the later part of (your career), you feel like this place is more home than anything else.”