Deja vu as Cats crash at home
GEELONG had a long debrief on how to save its Premier Cricket season on Saturday night after Ringwood condemned it to a 1-3 start.
Cats coach Nick Speak drew similarities with his side’s 53-run loss and last season’s semi-final calamity against Dandenong when they had the game all but won, only to lose in the final over.
Ringwood opener Tom Rogers pumped his second century of the season at Kardinia Park in the Rams’ total of 262 in Hayden Butterworth’s milestone match.
The Cats had the visitors 5-81, with paceman Dom McGlinchey (5-46) removing Ringwood champions David King (0) and Ian Holland (11) cheaply on his way to a fivewicket haul, but Rogers and Arjun Dhull provided a matchwinning partnership.
Rogers, the competition’s leading runscorer with 351 runs, hit 118 and No.7 Dhull clubbed seven fours and two sixes in his 93 in a 150-run stand that Speak said his team was powerless to stop.
Butterworth, celebrating his 200th match, was dogged in his 68 but Geelong never recovered from 3-45, dismissed for 209 in the 45th over.
Speak said his side used every tactic to stop the RogersDhull partnership.
“We just couldn’t create a chance,” he said.
“When you think the guys who bat 6, 7, 8 get little opportunity...it’sacoachkiller.
“It was deja vu to, dare I say it, the semi-final against Dandenong.
“Until Rogers got out, we just didn’t look like taking a pole.”
Geelong travels to Walter Galt Reserve this weekend to meet Kingston Hawthorn in a must-win contest for its finals chances.
Speak said teams had improved their white-ball strategies and his side needed to get better.
“I don’t know what you do. Do you shake the team up, do you move people around into different roles?” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been 1-3.
“We sat for a while last night – ‘Bluey’ (Luke Muller), Marc Carson and ‘Aggy’ (Travis Agg) ... and talked through a few scenarios.
“You’ve just got to win the next game in front of you.
“Our draw’s not been too difficult, so we’re going have to beat some good sides after Christmas.
“The focus now is just to make the eight and not think too much about where we were at the start of the season thinking about top four.
“We’ve got to get on a roll.”