HAIR APPARENT MATCH LINE-UPS, SLOANE SIGNS, Pages 46-47

IN a side full of cult figures, Geelong just scored another. Quinton Narkle, a 20-year-old from Perth, has played just two games for the Cats but already the club has huge plans for the kid with curly blond hair. He is sure to play a big part in tonight’s match against the Crows in Adelaide to kick off Round 17.

GEELONG midfielder Scott Selwood says he expects Adelaide to bring the heat for what could be a season-defining clash at Adelaide Oval tonight.

Buoyed by the news gun midfielder Rory Sloane has committed to the club for another five years, the 11thplaced Crows find themselves urgently needing a win to keep in touch with the top eight.

It is a crucial game for the Cats too, desperate not to lose their footing after a crucial win over Sydney on the road last week.

If the seventh-placed Cats lose and results don’t go their way, they could be out of the top eight by the end of the round.

“We expect them to play a really good brand of footy tomorrow night and bring the heat,” Selwood said.

“Although they haven’t had the best of years, we still expect them to play at their best. They are getting guys back at the moment and they’re really strongly coached.

“They’re not really hard to prepare for because you are still preparing for their best. We expect them to be at their best and that’s all we can assume they will bring.

“We haven’t been as consistent as we probably were last year and we acknowledge that. We have probably lost games we would have hoped to have won.

“Keep improving each week and keep learning from what we have been doing.

“We put in a strong per- formance last week [against Sydney], albeit the scoreboard didn’t quite reflect it in the way we kicked goals.

“We thought we took a step in the right direction.”

Selwood returned to the senior fold in last Thursday night’s 12-point win over the Swans.

It was no coincidence Geelong’s midfield looked back to its physical best with Selwood back in the team, with the youngest Selwood brother laying nine tackles and picking up 14 touches.

Selwood said the news of Sloane’s commitment to the Crows was “exciting for AFL in general”.

“To get a guy that is always pondering his future and then seeing that he’s staying loyal to the footy club in that way, it’s really exciting for them and good on him,” Selwood said.