MOONEY SLAMS CATS RUCKS
Geelong ruckmen Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley need to stand tall and start to repay the faith the Cats have shown in them, Cam Mooney writes in his exclusive column.
WILL one of Rhys Stanley or Zac Smith please stand up?
It’s about time one of them — or both — become the men Geelong needs them to be.
The Cats have put a lot of faith in both of them, brought them to the club and gave them an opportunity.
It’s staggering neither has been able to take that spot and make it their own.
The problem is that they have both played in patches during their time at Geelong. We’ve seen the best and the worst of them, but the good games haven’t come consistently enough.
It’s unfair on Esava Ratugolea, who is only 19 and in his second season of footy, to shoulder the ruck load like he did against West Coast.
I love Esava and I think he could be Geelong’s ruckman in the future, but there shouldn’t be that expectation on him now.
That’s the reason why we have Stanley and Smith at the club, so that the burden isn’t lumped on a kid trying to find his way in the game.
Sunday’s ruck battle with St Kilda will be an interesting one.
I really hope that one of Smith or Stanley play and they actually impose themselves on the game.
Geelong has had a tough start to the season when it comes to ruck opponents, facing Melbourne’s Max Gawn, Hawthorn’s Ben McEvoy and West Coast’s Nic Naitanui.
They’re arguably the three best in the game.
With all due respect to Billy Longer, he’s a step down on that trio and is there for the taking.
Longer’s form has been average at best this season, too, and the heat would have been put on him to stand up as well.
Actually, the acid really is on St Kilda this week. The fans have put the blowtorch to the players and will be wanting to see them show some teeth.
They simply have to respond, smash in and make it a real contest.
It’s a crucial game for Geelong, too. There’s no way the club would have imagined itself being at 1-2 after three rounds with the prospect of being 1-3 after four.
Then there’s the trip to Port Adelaide followed by home clashes with Sydney and GWS.
Sometimes we can be a bit too quick to push the panic button.
Just having a look at social media after Geelong’s loss to West Coast tells you just how fast some fans push down on it.
But, really, there is no reason to be too concerned just yet.
It was always going to take some time for this team to settle given how many new faces are in the team.
And injuries to key players have compounded those issues. Geelong was without Harry Taylor, Lachie Henderson and Mitch Duncan against the Eagles and then lost Nakia Cockatoo, Cam Guthrie and Gary Ablett during the match.
Take that amount of talent out of any team and it’ll struggle.
First game back at GMHBA Stadium is a chance for Geelong to get its season back on track and push back up the ladder.
I think the Cats will win, but my eyes will be firmly on the ruckmen.