Duncan, Blicavs, Guthrie, Walker, Horlin-Smith, Caddy and Murdoch; will they stand up?
IT’S an age-old footy debate: Who wins you football games, your top six or your bottom six players? Mark Robinson looks at Geelong.
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IT’S an age-old footy debate: Who wins you football games, your top six or your bottom six players?
Melbourne coach Paul Roos is adamant it’s the bottom six.
He reasons that the top six from each team cancel each other out and anything special from a bottom-six player can change the course of a game.
Sydney’s Harry Cunningham is the example. While Lance Franklin won the game with two minutes of deluxe football, Cunningham was more important because he shut down Fremantle’s line-breaker Stephen Hill.
It was two minutes versus 112 minutes.
Geelong this week needs every minute out of its bottom six players - and others.
Today a group has been labelled the Suspect Seven.
They are Mitch Duncan, Mark Blicavs, Cameron Guthrie, Josh Walker, George Horlin-Smith, Josh Caddy and Jordan Murdoch.
Clearly, Duncan is not a bottom-six player and he plays his 100th game on Friday night, but, he like the rest of them, will decide the outcome of the game against North Melbourne.
Duncan is the most experienced of that group and is part of the group which has taken the baton from Bartel, Enright, Kelly, Johnson and Mackie.
Allen Christensen and Steve Motlop came through with Duncan and have clasped the baton and ran with it.
We’ve been told this next group is going to take over.
Was it last year? The start of this year? Or is it going to be next year?
The fact is, it has to be this Friday night because if they lose, the Cats are gone.
Blicavs has played 44 games, Murdoch 41, Caddy 57, Horlin-Smith 31, Guthrie 63 and Walker 16.
Duncan is a premiership player and has had a ripper season, and he looms as a future captain, but he was so-so against the Hawks in the qualifying final.
He can’t have two poor games in a row.
Guthrie is a star. Was a star in the first half of season at least. His second half hasn’t been as good, although he did curtail Jordan Lewis for three quarters last week.
He should get a role against the Kangaroos. In Round 10, he went head to head with Greenwood, Ziebell and Cunnington. In Round 19, it was mainly Cunnington, then Greenwood and Bastinac.
With Corey Enright to take Boomer Harvey - he did in both games this year - it leaves Guthrie for Daniel Wells.
It’s the perfect match-up and if Chris Scott allows Wells to roam as Mark Thompson did last weekend, then good luck.
Blicavs has already been challenged. He is the No.1 ruckman. He can run and jump and it seems like the responsibility won’t faze him. I say that because not once in this incredible journey of his have I reckoned he’s not tried or dogged it.
Horlin-Smith and Caddy have the sights on them. Up against Lewis, Hodge, Mitchell, Burgoyne and Shiels last week, they were enlightened as to what finals football was about. Caddy was meek, while Horlin-Smith was up for the fight (six clearances, second to Joel Selwood in contested ball). Both need to go to another level.
Just imagine if Selwood is injured in the first minutes. If he didn’t play last week, the Cats lose by 12 goals. If Selwood and Bartel don’t play last week, it’s 15 goals.
Caddy, Duncan, Guthrie, Horlin-Smith and the rest in the midfield can’t wait to be inspired by Selwood. Indeed, they need to inspire Selwood.
And then there’s Walker and Murdoch.
Murdoch is a flanker with speed, which historically means he is an opportunist. He’s kicked 21 goals from 21 matches this season. He’s young but he must convert opportunism into consistent impact. He has to worry the opposition more, he has to frighten Atley with his creativity and not vice versa.,
Walker is a puzzle. Can he play AFL senior level? Can he kick a four in a final? Be nice time to find out.
Originally published as Duncan, Blicavs, Guthrie, Walker, Horlin-Smith, Caddy and Murdoch; will they stand up?
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