Dawn to Dark: All the likes and dislikes from Geelong after Round 2

Jeremy Cameron sent social media into a frenzy for the second straight week — but this time it was for a different reason. But a sub decision raised eyebrows. All the likes and dislikes here.

Welcome to Geelong’s newest footy column, Dawn to Dark.

Geelong had plenty to smile about after notching another crucial win against Adelaide against the odds.

See the likes and dislikes out of the Cattery ahead of a winnable Easter Monday contest with Hawthorn.

LIKES

1. DEFENCE FIRST

Few gave the depleted Cats a chance on the road and they made a big statement with their defensive intent. Geelong has never been renowned for its pressure under Chris Scott, but without tackling machine Tom Atkins the Cats managed to lay 75 tackles against Adelaide – their seventh best tackling return in the past five years. Incredibly, 49 of those came in the first half as the Cats didn’t give the Crows an inch. Late inclusion Brandan Parfitt laid a team-high 10 tackles, while a handful of his teammates laid five or more – Patrick Dangerfield (8), Mark O’Connor (8), Brad Close (6) and Jack Henry (5). A Cats midfield without Atkins and Tanner Bruhn lost the clearance count by nine but made up for the disparity with their pressure which put Adelaide’s ball-winners on the back foot. And the perceived pressure from the Crows was clear as they rush their kicks forward, many of which were picked off with ease by Tom Stewart.

Mark Blicavs and Brandan Parfitt led the way for the Cats on the defensive end. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

2. STOCK STANDARD STEWART

A little more on that man. In his 150th game, Stewart was everywhere and he showed Luke Pedlar up bigtime in the first half as the young Crow attempted to quell his influence. But few can stop Stewart when he is in a mood like that. Stewart equalled the record for most intercept marks with 10 and could have easily reached 11 had he not dropped an open chest mark – perhaps his only blemish for the game. He also recorded 15 intercept possessions – the third-highest tally of his career – and made them count the other way with seven score involvements (fourth best). It is perhaps a sign of his contribution to the Cats that these sort of performances come with little surprise: it is clockwork for the South Barwon sensation.

Tom Stewart did it all in game 150. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

3. TOMAHAWK HAS STILL GOT IT

Any Cats fans questioning Tom Hawkins after a quiet performance against St Kilda were rightly put in their place by an emphatic showing from the ageing superstar. Hawkins showed his immense strength in the contest against Adelaide’s inexperienced key defensive group, leading the way with four goals and a team-high three contested marks. He clunked three marks inside 50 and was the number one inside 50 target for his side on the night, with the Cats kicking it to him on seven occasions. The 35-year-old will be licking his lips up against a Hawthorn side with a dearth of key defenders. And his teammates are sure to look out for him in his 350th game.

4. HOLDING THE BALL

The seriousness of a pitch invader running onto the crowd and endangering player safety can’t be understated, but Jeremy Cameron managed to make fans instantly see the funny side. As the village idiot ran onto the ground and into the play, he was eventually halted by security staff. The eventual gang tackle to the ground from security on the pitch invader had ‘Jezza’ playing the role of the umpire, pinging the man for holding the ball. His hilarious gesture had social media in stitches and was another example of his wicked sense of humour — think that famous video of him giving his premiership medallion to one of his cows. Never change, Jez.

A punter got it 🤣🤣#rascal#aflcrowscatshttps://t.co/keGF1m7kv5pic.twitter.com/vAA1X6roqk

— Sam Daddo (@sammydaddo) March 22, 2024

5. STANLEY’S RESPONSE

St Kilda big man Rowan Marshall did a number on Rhys Stanley last week and while he didn’t exactly light up the stats sheet against Adelaide, he showed plenty of heart. The Cats veteran went off with a knee concern in the first quarter suffered in a ruck contest with Reilly O’Brien. To his credit he bravely returned to the field and took a towering contested mark shortly after. The 33-year-old attended 22 centre bounces and 65 ruck contests in total for the match, and while his opposite number was the third-ranked Crow on the ground, he wasn’t particularly dominant. Now the Cats have the perfect excuse to rest Stanley and give emerging ruckman Toby Conway another chance, fresh off 37 hit-outs and 17 disposals up against his older brother, Sam, in the VFL.

DISLIKES

1. DANGERFIELD HAMSTRING

Patrick Dangerfield was the top ranked Cat on the ground in their win over St Kilda, with his final kick a game-sealing goal from beyond the paint. He then went on to tally 23 disposals, eight tackles and four clearances against his former side. But the Cats could be without Dangerfield in the short-term after a hamstring blow late in the piece. Geelong struggled to cover him when he missed a month with another hamstring setback last season, but it presents a golden opportunity to fringe midfielder Brandan Parfitt to cement a spot. Nonetheless it is a disappointing setback for Dangerfield who didn’t miss a beat over the pre-season and the club will be hoping Atkins (adductor) and Bruhn (foot) are right to go to face the Hawks.

Patrick Dangerfield appears set for a stint on the sidelines. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images

2. SUB TACTICS

Spare a thought for Mitch Knevitt. The wingman was flown over to Adelaide as a carry over emergency, thrown into the side after a late out in the warm-up and forced to wait until the 28th minute mark of the last quarter to be injected into the game. That’s the second latest activated sub of all time behind former Bomber Brayden Ham. Knevitt then played Geelong’s VFL match in a different state the next day at 2pm – coincidentally alongside Ham. Talk about a rough weekend. He did well to pick up 16 touches, seven marks in a goal in their 53-point loss to Werribee and he has every right to feel miffed.

3. MIXED MESSAGES

On Tuesday evening the Cats released their injury update which said Tanner Bruhn faced a fitness test on a foot sprain ahead of their clash with the Crows. “Tanner will be assessed this week. We’ll see how he goes at training and he will be test this week to play against the Crows,” assistant football boss Brett Johnson said. Coach Chris Scott was quick to allay any fears at his press conference on Wednesday morning, saying: “I’m actually very confident that he will play… I know we have sort of said he is a ‘test’, what you should read into that is that we just need to triple check he is OK. Try to make sense of any of that.” A day later, Bruhn was out on the team sheet. Make it make sense. Things can change fast in football, but it’s not the first time the Cats have left fans bemused with their injury messaging.

4. WASTED OPPORTUNITIES

Leading St Kilda at halftime, Geelong kicked six-straight behinds in the third quarter, giving the Saints the chance to get themselves back into the contest. It was a similar story on Friday night as the Cats kept the door ajar with six consecutive behinds from the end of the third quarter to midway through the last. During that time the Crows cut the margin to 16 points with the home crowd cheering them on, and Geelong was perhaps fortunate that Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker both missed chances of their own. To Geelong’s credit they managed to convert two more goals to put the result beyond doubt, but it shouldn’t have been that close. On Friday night the Cats actually scored 12 points above their expected score of 84, but against the Saints they managed 76 compared to an expected 102.

Originally published as Dawn to Dark: All the likes and dislikes from Geelong after Round 2