Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are delivering for Geelong already, Mark Robinson writes
PATRICK Dangerfield and Joel Selwood have already found synergy and despite not wanting to be a two-man team, Geelong has a huge advantage. FIVE THINGS ROBBO’s LOOKING FORWARD TO
PATRICK Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are living up to the hype.
The pair put a clinic against the Brisbane Lions in Round 3 and while they were clearly the two dominant players on the ground, Cats coach Chris Scott implored observers not to believe his Cats were a two-man team.
He’s right, of course.
The team is led by two dynamic players who have around them a very solid supporting cast, perhaps good enough to have a deep September campaign.
But even Scott would acknowledge the imposing nature of Dangerfield and Selwood will determine how deep that campaign will run.
Individually, they are among the most gifted in the competition.
Collectively, they are like they Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, two brothers in arms.
It’s already been said Selwood looks like Paul Newman and plays like Cool Hand Luke, while Dangerfield certainly isn’t lacking when it comes to attitude. The only thing he has in common with Robert Redford is the matinee-idol mop of hair. But together they are BOOM!
AFL great Tim Watson predicted they would be the best one-two midfield punch in the league and while we only have a small sample, clearly the pair found a synergy from the start.
Three times in the first quarter against Hawthorn in Round 1, Dangerfield and Selwood fed each other and Cats fans were giddy. It hasn’t stopped.
They are the No.2 ranked combination for “waxing’’ with each other.
Gold Coast pair Gary Ablett and Aaron Hall lead with 20 combos after three rounds.
Dangerfield and Selwood are second with 19.
Hall has been a prolific ball winner across the three rounds and figures prominently in the debate of who is the most improved player in the competition. He is also fifth on the table with Nick Malceski.
Overall, they are ony numbers and when you get the ball so many times you have to give it to someone.
But there’s spirit within those numbers.
When Dangerfield and Selwood work in tandem, there’s that comfort the ball is in good hands. When the commentators say Selwood to Dangerfield or vice versa, the scene is set for something to happen.
Dangerfield came to Geelong to help fix clearances and the contested ball and the hope was he would ease the load of the skipper.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
They have played with and without each other in the midfield this season, and clearly when together for the centre bounce, the results are terrific.
They have started together in 34 of Geelong’s 87 centre bounces this season. Of the 34, Geelong has won the clearance 18 times (53 per cent).
Of the 53 centre bounces they haven’t attended together, Geelong has won the clearance 15 times (28 per cent).
Against Hawthorn in Round 1 they won centre bounce clearance nine of 15 times when in there together.
Versus GWS, when the Cats were munched in the midfield, it was five from nine. Versus Brisbane, it was six from 10.
Together they are a force. When not together, and this what coach Chris Scott is stressing about not being a two-man team, there’s not a huge difference in clearances won.
When Dangerfield attends a centre bounce the Cats win the clearance 51.7 per cent of the time. When Joel Selwood attends they win the clearance 50.8 per cent of the time.
When Dangerfield doesn’t attend, the Cats win the clearance 48.1 per cent of the time. When Selwood doesn’t attend, they win the clearance 50.0 per cent of the time.
So, there’s no real drop off, as Scott highlighted after the Lions win.
“I know there’s been a little bit of commentary with a small sample size around what Pat means to our midfield group, but our players in there have been developing over a long period of time,” Scott said.
“I still think they’ve got some improvement left in them, but we’re not a terrible midfield group if we don’t have Pat in there, and I think we’re still pretty good if we don’t have Joel in there as well.”
The contested ball numbers is where Dangerfield and Selwood excel and they are an indicator of Geelong’s results.
The Cats got beaten up by GWS and the numbers were low for Dangerfield and Selwood — just nine each.
In their two wins, with the two of them strong over the ball, they paved the way for contested ball differentials of plus 19 and plus 11. In Round 1 they combined for 33 contested ball wins and in Round 3 it was 36.
Against GWS it was a minus 22 differential and even then, Selwood was phenomenal in the final 40 minutes.
It’s only three matches, but clearly the performances of the pair help dictate victory or defeat.
That’s not to insult their teammates, for Scott is right, a two-man team won’t beat anyone.
But contested ball is king, and when Dangerfield and Selwood get to work, it’s obvious Geelong’s chances of winning are greatly enhanced.
FIVE THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO
1. Super Sunday I. Hardly a word has been written about North Melbourne’s start to the season — they are 3-0 — and a win tomorrow might change all that. Legitimate? You’d have to say yes.
2. Super Sunday II. The headlines this week have been about Collingwood, but the focus should also be on the Demons. Bring the Hobart attitude and Pies pain will continue.
3. Super Sunday III. GWS v Port. Who is the real Port Adelaide? Barely a whimper against Adelaide and then bullied Essendon which leaves us in the dark. A win can change all that.
4. Buddy v Talia. Should have a huge influence on the outcome. Talia is in super form, but he’ll find that Buddy moves a bit quicker than Charlie Dixon.
5. Brisbane v Gold Coast. This is gettable for the Lions in a horror first-half draw. They simply need a win to lift morale after last week’s demoralising loss to Geelong.
Originally published as Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are delivering for Geelong already, Mark Robinson writes
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