Cam Mooney says Patrick Dangerfield presents multiple preliminary headaches for Adelaide

Why Patrick Dangerfield’s menace grows on the big stage and his pre-game barbs with Josh Jenkins mean nothing.

Patrick Dangerfield marks in Geelong’s semi-final win against Sydney at the MCG. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Geelong premiership legend Cam Mooney says Patrick Dangerfield’s sense of occasion and ability to create attacking mayhem will cause Don Pyke more headaches than Josh Jenkins’ preliminary final sledge.

Mooney believes Dangerfield can have his cake and eat it too - winning a flag with Geelong.

“Dangerfield is arguably the best one-one-one player inside 50 in the competition and we don’t see him in there that often,” said Mooney.

“If he spends good chunks inside 50 with Tom Hawkins creating space there’s isn’t a match-up for Adelaide I am 100 per cent confident will work.”

Hostile treatment from a “stinging” 52,000-strong Adelaide crowd will play into the hands of the former Crow Dangerfield - motivating a returning villain to silence his old stomping ground.

“Very rarely do players get a nice welcome home when they leave,” Fox Footy’s Mooney told The Advertiser.

“Patrick is expecting it, the kind of guy who flourishes with it, senses the theatre of the game, enjoys that side of it. Not for one second is that going to bother him or the footy club.

“What Josh said, none of it was malicious, just a few mates throwing a few jibes at each other.”

Adelaide has no natural antidote to Dangerfield should the 91kg warrior turn spearhead to replicate the confusion and four-goal carnage that destroyed Sydney in the MCG semi-final.

Kyle Hartigan, Daniel Talia, Jake Kelly or Jake Lever could face the Danger music. The 2016 Brownlow Medallist’s unique combination of overhead contested marking, explosive pace and strength has confounded premier defenders including Sydney’s Dane Rampe and Hawthorn’s retiring Luke Hodge this season.

Mooney said a grand final gateway hinged on Cats midfielders of Joel Selwood, Sam Menegola, Scott Selwood, Mitch Duncan and Mark Blicavs holding the line against Adelaide’s Rory Sloane, All Australian Matt Crouch, Brad Crouch, Richard Douglas and Hugh Greenwood.

“If they are getting beaten Dangerfield goes back on ball and Geelong’s forward line worry is how are they are going to score?” said Mooney.

“Geelong’s best is without doubt as good, if not better than anyone else in the competition. They match up with Adelaide but can look average if they don’t bring their best.”

Sloane can expect a hard tag that didn’t occur in Adelaide’s round 18 win with Scott Selwood underdone but replacing rebound half-back Brodie Smith is coach Pyke’s key structural concern.

“Smith is a really big one, run and carry. It is very hard to replace guys who can cover 700 metres gained, get 20-30 possessions in a game. He is a star,” said Mooney.

Betts has 28 goals in 11 finals but just four goals in his past four starts against Geelong with Zac Tuohy and Jed Bews proving rare trouble for the magical forward. The preliminary final will be a definitive outing for Betts.

“These are the moments where you are a finals person or you are not,” noted Mooney.