Former Cat Matthew Scarlett sees similarities between Mark Thompson’s Essendon and Geelong sides, but not quite

FORMER Geelong champ Matthew Scarlett sees similar traits between Essendon and his old club, but says the Bombers have a way to go.

ESSENDON looks like Geelong, moves the ball like Geelong, keeps the ball like Geelong, but is not exactly like Mark Thompson’s Geelong.

Champion Cats defender Matthew Scarlett sees the similarities between Bomber’s Bombers and Bomber’s Cats, some obvious, some not so obvious.

“Do I see the Cats in them? A little bit, but obviously they’ve got a fair way to go,’’ Scarlett said yesterday.

CHAPPY SORE, BOMBERS RUCK QUANDARY

“The way they use the ball coming out of the backline is a little bit Geelong-ish to me.”

The Cats were a high handball team from 2007 on and were generally ranked last in kick-to-handball ratio.

Jobe Watson of the Bombers handpasses the ball during the Round 1. Photo by Michael Dodge

The Bombers are ranked No. 1, averaging 1.6 kicks to each handball.

The Cats used the corridor the most in the competition. Coming out of defence Essendon ranks No. 8 in corridor use.

But they compare favourably to the all-conquering Cats because they win and keep so much of the footy.

After three rounds, they average 128 more disposals than the opposition.

But it’s time in possession which seriously defines Essendon under Thompson.

On average they hold the ball for 13.6 per cent more time than their opponent.

The next best is premiership favourite Hawthorn at 5 per cent.

They kick short 73.1 per cent of the time — clearly No. 1 in the competition — which enables them to keep possession.

“You have to have the players to keep the ball and Essendon clearly has some skilful players who can use the ball and keep possession,’’ Scarlett said.

“As everyone knows we generated our attack form our backline group, through the corridor and got it into our forwards pretty quickly and it looks like they he’s trying to get them to do the same thing.”

Brent Stanton puts the clamps on Ben Cunnington. Photo by Michael Dodge

The best defence is not giving the opposition the ball or time, and it’s why the Bombers average 39 inside 50 against and 69 points against, both second in the competition to the sleeper out west, the Eagles.

Scarlett is impressed in what he’s observing, but not confident enough to predict a mammoth year for the Bombers.

“It’s still early, they’re playing good footy and we know they haven’t got a great history of playing well in the second half of the year,” he said.

“If they’re still playing footy like this in the second half, I’d start to believe in them more.

“If they are, I can’t see any reason why they can’t vie for a top-four finish and have a crack at a premiership.

“That would be unbelievable if they won the flag and Bomber gets sacked, or whatever happens at the end of the year.’’