Mark Robinson: Geelong should drop Jack Steven and play Tom Atkins in Qualifying Final against Port Adelaide
It will probably come down to Jack Steven or Tom Atkins when coach Chris Scott selects his team to play Port Adelaide. And Mark Robinson believes the one-time scrapper from the rookie list should get the nod. Here’s why.
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A season of twists and turns for Geelong’s Jack Steven might have a savage twist on the eve of Geelong’s finals campaign.
Unquestionably, the Cats’ match committee will be debating whether to dump Steven for either Tom Atkins or Brad Close.
My choice? Atkins in and Steven out.
Who would ever have thought the multiple best and fairest winner in Steven would be replaced by a one-time scrapper from the rookie list in Atkins? For a final. On the road against ladder-topping Port Adelaide. With the winner soldiering into the preliminary final weekend.
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It says plenty about Atkins’ development, particularly this year in the expanded dual role of hardworking small forward and relief midfielder when skipper Joel Selwood was sidelined with a knee injury.
It also says plenty about the travails of Steven’s season.
He was stabbed in May – and Victoria Police only ended their investigation last week, opting against laying charges – and didn’t play his first game for the Cats until June 20.
He played Rounds 3, 4, 5, 7 and missed Rounds 6, 8 and 9.
He returned in Round 10 to play North Melbourne, played Rounds 11, 13, 14, missed Rounds 15, 16 and 17, and was selected for the Round 18 match against Sydney.
Clearly, he lacked continuity of performance.
In the Swans game, he also lacked key ingredients which have made Geelong one the premiership contenders: composure and conciseness by foot.
Against the Swans he had nine kicks and four of them missed their target.
FIRST QUARTER: Going inside 50, 10th minute.
SECOND QUARTER: Going short into the corridor, 20th minute.
FOURTH QUARTER: Trying to hit Tom Hawkins on the lead, 16th minute.
FOURTH QUARTER: Going short in defensive 50 to Mitch Duncan, 20th minute.
He has his qualities, Jack, but by foot he can be a concern and in the well-drilled Cats, Steven’s mistakes last week can’t be easily ignored.
Overall, Steven’s kicking efficiency this season is 57 per cent. The league average is 65 per cent.
He is a risk. Most players have a risk factor, you just don’t want it to be with your kicking when turnovers play a major role in scoring.
Geelong premiership skipper Cameron Ling didn’t slight Steven, but when asked about the selection dilemma, his enthusiasm for Atkins was absolute.
“My belief for the past eight weeks, when asked the question: Do Gary Ablett and Jack Steven both come into the finals team for the Cats, my answer has been very consistently no, they shouldn’t play in the same team,’’ Ling said.
So, Ablett is definitely playing …
“I think the Cats are a better balanced team with Tom Atkins in it,’’ Ling said.
“He does a lot of work off the ball, in the contest, the traditional one percenters around the contests which allows others play to their strengths, which may not include these.
“Tom in the forward line makes the forward line function better and when he’s seen times on the ball, especially in the second half of the year, there’s been a really good balance in the midfield.
“So, I think Tom should play.’’
Atkins is a ground ball gladiator and not a prodigious goalkicker.
He has four goals from 11 games this year and kicked five goal from 23 games last year.
Ling argued Atkins’ work rate provided goals to teammates.
“You could add a handful of goals to Miers and a handful of goals to Rohan … you can add them to Atkins’ tally. He makes them better,’’ he said.
“And he’s gone into the midfield at crucial times this year.
“The Bulldogs game when they were down, he started the next five or six centre bounces when they began their comeback post the first-quarter onslaught from the Dogs.
“Then there was Port Adelaide, I think Tom spent big chunks of those games in the midfield and attending centre bounces.’’
Atkins’ highest midfield times this season were against Adelaide in Round 13 (49 per cent), Richmond in Round 17 (40 per cent), the Bulldogs in Round 14 (37 per cent) and Port Adelaide in Round 12 (34 per cent).
In those four games, he attended a collective 30 centre bounces.
In his other seven games this season, it was a total of 15.
Clearly, coach Chris Scott’s confidence in Atkins as midfielder – and perhaps it was a necessity with Selwood out and Patrick Dangerfield playing increased minutes inside 50 – accelerated as the season progressed.
Atkins’ game-day fitness levels might also give him the edge over Steven.
“I reckon Tom’s gotten elite AFL fit to spend important chunks of time in the midfield, which has allowed Dangerfield to play more forward and I think they are a more complete team when Dangerfield is forward, and Tom’s development has allowed it, and Guthrie’s and Menegola and Parfitt’s improvement has also allowed it,’’ Ling said.
“But Tom’s been even more important than that.
“They could keep Joel Selwood out for a month and manage him.
“The balance of the team I’ve felt has been much better probably Rounds 6 to Round 16.’’
The other major selection at the Cats surrounds the talls.
Ruckman Rhys Stanley looks set to return and Esava Ratugolea, who was a point of difference in the match against Richmond in the final quarter, is likely to make way.
MORE GEELONG CATS:
Home crowd no worries as Gelong calls for silence
Geelong Cats 2020: Cats keeping an open mind on selection
Emphasis on ball movement for Cats as Stanley continues progress
Port Adelaide must pick retiring veteran Justin Westhoff to face Geelong in AFL qualifying final
Slow starts haunt Cats but Matthew Scarlett believes history won’t repeat
Originally published as Mark Robinson: Geelong should drop Jack Steven and play Tom Atkins in Qualifying Final against Port Adelaide