Cats to show claws
GEELONG will be strengthened by the timely return of key duo Scott Selwood and Lachie Henderson against the Western Bulldogs tonight as the Cats look to rebound from an uncharacteristic run of three straight defeats.
Coach Chris Scott was scathing of the inept tackling display in their loss to Essendon last round and is demanding an immediate response as the Cats play at their revamped Simonds Stadium for the first time this year.
“There is a bit of a trap in the football industry to talk about this as being the most important game of the season when in reality the next one will be just as important as well,” Scott said.
“The logical way of looking at it is we haven’t performed at the standard that we aspire to and we’re determined to get back to that straight away.
“We’d be extremely disappointed if our effort or intensity could be questioned (tonight). We’re confident that won’t be the case.”
After overcoming a toe injury, Selwood – the younger brother of Cats captain Joel Selwood – has regained form and fitness with three reserves matches and is ready for his first AFL game of 2017.
“He’s played enough in the VFL now, he’s really fit, we’ve made sure that we took our time and completed a really thorough rehab with him,” the coach said.
“He’s a great runner, he’s a great athlete, there was no point putting him out there at AFL level if he couldn’t play to those strengths.”
Henderson’s return against the reigning premiers will stiffen up a defence that was exposed last weekend by rising Essendon star Joe Daniher, who kicked five goals.
Henderson has recovered from a rib complaint suffered in the warm-up against Gold Coast, forcing him to miss the Cats’ most recent losses to the Suns and Bombers.
The fourth stage of the Simonds Stadium redevelopment has lifted capacity to 36,000, making it one of the best stadiums in Australia outside the capital cities.
The Cats’ next four matches are all against fellow topfour aspirants. They face the Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and Adelaide at home and then travel to Domain Stadium to square off against West Coast after the bye.