Geelong forward Esava Ratugolea spoils teammate Tom Hawkins’ shot for goal in loss to Carlton
Esava Ratugolea produced a moment which left commentators shaking their heads when he spoiled Tom Hawkins’ goal-bound shot last night. But there were bigger issues which left Cats coach Chris Scott frustrated after a shock loss to Carlton.
Geelong
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Chris Scott was fed up and this time he wanted answers.
Normally the Cats coach likes to take a deep breath immediately after a game and let the emotions subside, preferring a more measured reflective response two days later in the weekly review meeting.
But as he watched Carlton’s Eddie Betts drag down his young defender Jack Henry in the final minute to ensure a shock two-point Blues victory, Scott knew it was time to draw a line in the sand.
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He’d seen this movie script too many times.
The slow lethargic start which allows the opposition to dominate proceedings for an extended period before out of nowhere, when all seems lost, Geelong click into gear and make an inspired comeback which ultimately falls short.
It has been on repeat for a number of years and it’s not a stretch to say this mental fragility has cost the Cats a premiership in recent times.
The slow starts and bizarre inability to be switched on from the start of big games has become a disturbing trend and is evident in Geelong’s past four finals campaigns.
In the 2016 preliminary final the Cats went in hot favourites against Sydney at the MCG yet failed to score a goal in the opening quarter as the Swans kicked seven.
They also didn’t kick a goal in the opening quarter of the 2017 qualifying final against Richmond and then in the preliminary final against Adelaide, they scored one to the Crows six.
In the 2018 elimination final Geelong scored two points in the opening quarter and let Melbourne kick five goals.
And in last year’s qualifying final against Collingwood, they managed just one goal to the Magpies four in the opening term. That’s where the game was lost with the final margin just 10 points.
While the stakes weren’t obviously as high on Saturday night, it was the same old scenario.
Carlton kicked five goals to one in the first quarter after only kicking four to three-quarter time the previous week against Melbourne.
At halftime they had nine goals – something they hadn’t achieved since Round 10, 2016 – with the lead blowing out to 42-points at the 10-minute mark of the third quarter.
It wasn’t until the start of the final quarter that Scott’s team woke from their slumber, booting five goals to Carlton’s one behind to fall two points short.
This performance came on the back of a total domination of Hawthorn eight days earlier at the same ground.
It made no sense but in a strange way for the Cats coach it did because he’s seen it happen too many times.
So Scott decided to break with tradition and called his players into a meeting immediately after the game.
It was the longest post-game meeting of his nine-year tenure with a “lot of people talking” in the room.
“There are no clear answers except that we do have a problem, that is clear. It’s been clear for a long time,” Scott said.
“We won’t hope for the best. We won’t sit back and go hopefully that was an aberration. We have to be a bit harder on ourselves than that.”
The Cats haven’t won consecutive games since they defeated Richmond in Round 12 last year — at that stage they were on top of the ladder with an 11-1 record.
“We are getting inconsistent output and it has been happening for a long period of time … it is wrong for a coach to get defensive in the face of irrefutable evidence,” Scott said.
“We know there is a difference between being really, really up for it and just being a little bit off and clearly that was us early in the game.
“And then at three-quarter time, it was the same jumpers out there but it looked like a different team, so that is the question we are asking ourselves and we spent some time talking about it then.”
Ruckman Rhys Stanley is the poster boy for the fragile inconsistency. Against Hawthorn he produced the game of his career yet on Saturday night Marc Pittonet, who was playing his second game for the Blues, comprehensively beat the Cats big man.
But he had plenty of mates.
Gary Ablett came back to earth after a vote-catching performance against the Hawks while the Cats highly rated defence was exposed by Carlton’s big three forwards in Levi Casboult, Harry McKay and Mitch McGovern.
At the other end Tom Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea continued to struggle and with skipper Joel Selwood subdued by Ed Curnow and Patrick Dangerfield kept in check for most of the night, the Cats couldn’t find a way until it was too late.
A scenario Scott has seen way too many times.
WHAT WAS HE DOING? RATUGOLEA BRAIN FADE COSTS CATS
It was one of the stranger moments in an already strange AFL season.
With Geelong 42 points down against Carlton on Saturday night, Tom Hawkins looked certain to cut the margin to six goals midway through the third quarter.
The only issue? As his set shot sailed toward the goal, teammate Esava Ratugolea rose highest to thump it back into play.
Commentator Jason Dunstall was in disbelief on Fox Footy, saying it was an “extraordinary” moment.
“The ball could have gone through for a goal and it wouldn’t have been touched,” Dunstall said.
Dwayne Russell noted: “He could have marked it. He could have left it.”
Dunstall added: “I have seen people try to mark it and then mess it up that way, but not double fist it from there.”
The Cats had several chances to snatch a dramatic win in the last quarter, but fell two points short as the match finished 12.7 (79) to 11.11 (77).
“I’m not sure what Ratugolea (was doing),” former Cat Billy Brownless said on Channel 9. “Hawk is kicking from outside 50, Cats need a goal, it’s in the third quarter and here’s Esava Ratugolea and he punches it forward double fist.
“Maybe let it go through, or mark it.”
Ratugolea denies his own teammate a goal... BY TAPPING IT BACK INTO PLAY.
— maddie (@_maddie_) June 20, 2020
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a brain fade like it. 🤯pic.twitter.com/14rmqOSjNY
Some quality goalkeeping last night from Ratugolea & Docherty, huge efforts right on the line to keep the baggers in it #AFLCatsBlues
— Stephen Benjamin (@stephenbenjamin) June 21, 2020
Ratugolea off to the Socceroos with those brilliant goalkeeping skills. #AFLCatsBlues
— Lockie McKinnon (@lockster247) June 20, 2020
Ratugolea or Mark Bosnich? #AFLCatsBlues
— Stok Tilk (@TeeTilk) June 20, 2020
Originally published as Geelong forward Esava Ratugolea spoils teammate Tom Hawkins’ shot for goal in loss to Carlton