AFL Finals Saturday Special: Geelong defeats West Coast
It would be enthralling to see Patrick Dangerfield and Dustin Martin line up in opposing goalsquares on Friday night, but chances are they will be within touching distance at the opening bounce. Who wins?
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Tom Hawkins’ suspension has just created a huge headache for Chris Scott, but just add that to the one wearing No.4 in black and yellow.
How do the Cats combat Dustin Martin, who is fresh from a break and fresh from an equal career-best bag of six goals in the qualifying final?
As refreshing as it would be to see Martin and Patrick Dangerfield lining up in opposite goalsquares, it is far more likely they’ll be within touching distance come the first bounce.
While Elliot Yeo tagged Dangerfield in an enthralling match-up on Friday night, that tactic isn’t in the Tigers’ playbook, and so you can expect Richmond to back its system against the Brownlow Medal favourite.
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“He (Yeo) is a star. So strong, he really touched me up through the majority of the game,” Dangerfield said.
“He’s an All-Australian and a best-and-fairest player for a reason.”
But tagging is in Geelong’s artillery, and Cameron Guthrie didn’t let last year’s Grand Final hero Dom Sheed touch it for the 29 minutes they lined up against each other on Friday night.
Guthrie, who was brilliant against the Eagles, also had Martin’s number in the 2017 qualifying final, before succumbing with a calf injury that Scott described as “significant”.
While a replacement for Hawkins is anyone’s guess, Guthrie looks the man to contain Dusty.
IS SELWOOD CATS’ GREATEST SKIPPER?
He is yet to add ‘premiership skipper’ to an already bulging CV, but inspirational leader Joel Selwood might be the best captain in Geelong’s long and proud history.
Selwood gave us another example of his capabilities on Friday night as he almost dragged his team into another preliminary final, knocking off West Coast in a semi-final.
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He was left bloodied and bruised, but the 31-year-old wouldn’t have it any other way, even if his fiancee’s concern over the couple’s wedding photos in January might be understandable.
The Cats have had plenty of great leaders over the years, but it’s fair to say in regard to influence over the group, Selwood has to be at the forefront of discussions.
As Patrick Dangerfield — himself a captain in waiting — said of his skipper: “He’s so inspirational for us and for Geelong people, he’s been a beacon of leadership, of hope, of incredible will for his whole career really … when your skipper plays like that you can’t help but follow.”
Selwood is already the Cats’ captaincy games record holder, having taken over that mantle from the legendary Reg Hickey early last season.
He has led the club on 182 occasions — 40 more times than Hickey — and the only thing hasn’t yet achieved is to lead his team to a flag — albeit as a player he played in three flags before becoming captain.
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Hickey was a tough, uncompromising leader across 11 seasons and was named captain-coach of the club’s Team of the 20th Century.
Geelong has had seven premiership skippers — Fred Flanagan and Tom Harley won two flags each as coach, while Hickey, Cliff Rankin, Ted Baker, Fred Wooller and Cameron Ling have been the others.
There have been other fine club leaders including Polly Farmer (for only three seasons), Bill Goggin, Ian Nankervis, Bob Davis and Henry Young.
But Selwood’s remarkable impact on this playing group has seen long-time club insiders believe he is right in the mix as Geelong’s most inspirational leader.
He was appointed vice-captain in 2011, and captained the club a few times in Ling’s absence that season, and officially took over the role in 2012.
The Cats have made the finals in all but one of his eight seasons at the helm.
The fact Geelong hasn’t won a flag during his time as skipper isn’t his fault and his team is now only two wins away from potentially changing that.
Mark Blicavs said Selwood rightly demands a lot of the group as skipper, but was always willing to do whatever is required himself to get the best outcome.
“He is a freak,” Blicavs said. “He can feel as fresh as a daisy or be on his deathbed, but he still gives you the same effort.”
“He is an inspirational leader and we follow him all the time. He just leads by example and we are really proud of him.”
CATS’ GOOD, BAD AND UGLY
Geelong wakes up today with one big smile and two looming headaches.
The first is Tom Hawkins’ suspension and the second is Richmond gamebreaker Dustin Martin.
Let’s start with Hawkins.
The 2019 All-Australian kickstarted Geelong in three out of four quarters against West Coast — booting a goal in the opening minutes — and then kicked the reigning premiers out of this year’s flag race, slotting his fourth major in the final quarter.
It was an almighty performance from a spearhead under mounting pressure, given Hawkins had endured three goalless games as his September record drew questions.
But Friday night’s herculean semi-final effort will only add to the Cats’ agony after MRO Michael Christian wiped Hawkins out of Friday night’s preliminary final today.
A swinging arm that connected with Will Schofield’s head doesn’t look good. But expect the Cats to cry foul.
Imagine if 14 years after Sydney captain Barry Hall was allowed to play in a Grand Final despite whacking Matt McGuire in the guts, and 13 days after Toby Greene’s unsavoury contact with Marcus Bontempelli’s face drew only a fine, Hawkins was sitting in the stands for a preliminary final.
“Wouldn’t have thought so (Hawkins in trouble) given some of last week’s rulings,” Dangerfield said last night, hinting at Greene’s escape that also surprised Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt.
Hawkins slotted one goal against Schofield, two against Jeremy McGovern and another against Tom Barrass.
He made a mess of an organised backline, and that helped Esava Ratugolea clunk a pair of contested marks to boot back-to-back goals in the first term.
But how much harder will Ratugolea’s task against the Tigers be without Hawkins? And what will coach Chris Scott’s solution be?
Will he swing veteran defender Harry Taylor forward? That seems unlikely. Bring Wylie Buzza back for his first game since 2018? Surely not.
Isolate Dangerfield at full-forward, remembering that he kicked 5.6 with a bung foot playing out of the square in Luke Hodge’s 300th match in 2017? Possibly.
Or, a left-field option, such as inserting three-gamer Darcy Fort for the challenge of a lifetime.
Fort, 26, would be a bold selection … but that would hardly bother Scott.
The 204cm target booted 3.0 on debut against Western Bulldogs this year and added another 2.0 against Port Adelaide.
It’s an important decision, particularly given the Tigers’ game plan.
“When (Richmond) generates movement from their back half, every single player moves forward and really looks to press and overlap,” Dangerfield said.
“So we’ve got to make sure we don’t turn the ball over in positions where it’s impossible to defend.”
Lining up without Hawkins would severely disrupt Geelong’s chemistry.
Hawkins has missed just six out of Geelong’s past 110 games, with one of those absences a suspension for touching an umpire in 2018.
GAZZA’S FAREWELL TOUR?
This week should be declared Gary Ablett Appreciation Week, because there might be just four quarters left in Little Gaz’s golden career.
Ablett is a fading force, and at 35 who could blame him?
In the third quarter against West Coast his stats sheet read one ineffective kick as the Eagles surged to the lead.
While All-Australian Tom Stewart was shadowed by Mark Hutchings, Brownlow winner Patrick Dangerfield had Elliot Yeo to contend with and skipper Joel Selwood split his time between Jack Redden and Luke Shuey, unheralded Eagle Jackson Nelson was given the job on Ablett.
Ablett made his AFL debut just two weeks after Nelson, 23, blew out six birthday candles, and it showed.
“I used to idolise Gary growing up,” St Mary’s kid Nelson said last night.
“It was pretty interesting trying to play on him. He’s still got a few good tricks. Obviously a bit scary sometimes one-out with him.”
After a flat qualifying final Ablett — who Kane Cornes said
“didn’t want a physical contest” last week — made a bright start. His deft pass to Mark Blicavs should’ve gifted the wingman a goal and the bearded superstar wasn’t from the Cats’ worst.
It was also a step up from Ablett’s qualifying final, where he failed to make an impact.
But, worryingly, the zip, tricks and little footsteps which invoke fear are almost gone, and so it’s only natural to wonder where Gary would be in another 12 months.
Manager Liam Pickering recently forecast that Ablett would retire should he win a third premiership and face a tough decision if the Cats fall short.
Right now it is looking less and less likely that Gary will play on, with he and Luke Hodge currently the only survivors from the 2001 Super Draft.
But instead of bemoaning the possible end, it should be a time to cherish the rich enjoyment Ablett has delivered for a generation of footy fans.
Ablett’s career stands at 344 games and is as decorated as a Christmas tree.
His honours include two premierships, two Brownlow Medals (2009, Geelong and 2013, Gold Coast), eight All-Australians and six best-and-fairests.
If the curtain does fall on against Richmond on Friday night, it will command the most rousing applause the game has seen in a very long time.
HOW THE CATS DID IT FOR THE COACH — AND THEMSELVES
Joel Selwood has revealed how the Geelong players were desperate to ease the external heat on Chris Scott following the qualifying final loss to Collingwood.
That became a focus leading into Friday night’s semi-final against West Coast, and the players responded magnificently.
An animated Selwood could be seen pointing at Scott and urging his players on during a team huddle in the rooms at halftime on Friday night.
Scott was under fire following the loss to the Magpies over Rhys Stanley’s late withdrawal, but he had a great night in the coaches’ box on Friday.
“We’ve had stones thrown at us all week, especially the coach,” Selwood said on Channel 7.
“He can’t help but hear it sometimes and we just wanted to play for him, because we thought we had the right game plan to do it.
“A lot of people knew the facts … we just didn’t play well last week. To come out and do that (against West Coast) shows what the boys are made of.”
Mark Blicavs said the club was good at blocking out the criticism that came last week against the Magpies and responded in the best possible manner.
“(Scott) has been unbelievable this whole year, he and the whole coaching staff,” Blicavs said. “He has got amazing support and we back him to the hilt.”
“We play for each other and we play for the coaches. We did that as a team.
“The outside noise is just that … we ignore it. We are really good at the club, we just care about what our players and our coaches think.
“We came in to do a job, and we did it. Now we look ahead to Richmond.”
WHY EAGLES NEED KELLY
West Coast’s 2018 premiership was built around its bookends.
In defence the Eagles had a group of intercept-marking goliaths and at the other end a rabid bunch of goalsneaks who danced and dazzled at the feet of twin towers Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling.
It was life in the middle that appeared a concern for coach Adam Simpson, with West Coast’s contested ball shortcomings largely repeated in 2019.
The problem was masked in last year’s finals series with the likes of Elliot Yeo, Luke Shuey and Dom Sheed dramatically dissolving the inside issues.
That spike in performance helped culminate in a cup, but the engine room remained one that needed reinforcements.
That was evident on Friday night, when the Eagles lost contested ball by 21 in the final quarter against Geelong, as a four-point buffer morphed into a 20-point loss.
And that is exactly why Cat Tim Kelly shapes as the ideal recruit in 2020.
Kelly’s 283 contested possessions in 2019 has every Eagle except Yeo covered.
In the home-and-away season, the Eagles ranked 17th for contested ball,
18th for groundballs and looseballs and 13th for inside 50s.
That’s an engine room that needs some grunt and sparkle and Kelly is
that beautiful mix.
Out-of-contract midfielder Chris Masten, 30, made some slow mistakes
on Friday night and could be moved on, so there is likely to be a
hole to fill for Simpson.
The added advantage of plucking All-Australian Kelly out of a rival contender is that the recruitment is almost twice as juicy, weakening a team above it and strengthening the Eagles.
Kelly, 25, and his young family will be a happier clan at home next season and in familiar surrounds Eagles fans must be dreaming of the player he could become.
BLICAVS PRIMED FOR LYNCH TASK
Versatile Cat Mark Blicavs expects to return to defence to take on Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch in Friday night’s preliminary final showdown.
Blicavs was used in a different role — on the wing — for much of Friday night’s semi-final win over West Coast, but says he will likely return to the back half.
He kept Lynch to only one goal in the Cats’ 67-point win over the Tigers in Round 12, but knows it could be a very different proposition this time around.
“That was three months ago, so a lot has changed since that game,” Blicavs said. “We will do our homework and get after them next week.”
“I was playing back (in Round 12), I played on him (Lynch). He is a very good player and very dangerous, so it is a good challenge.”
Blicavs said he loved getting different challenges in games, and he relished the role of playing a hard-running wingman for much of Friday’s clash.
“It is good to mix things up a bit,” he said. “It was something a bit different. We have had a really stable back seven that are going really well.
“We had a bit of a look at the opposition and thought the best option was to get a few runners on the wing up and down.
“(Sam Menegola) is a good marking option with good hands.”
He said one key focus leading into the Eagles’ clash was to start swiftly, something which cost the Cats heavily against the Magpies last week.
It worked — Geelong kicked five goals to West Coast’s one in the opening term.
“The start of the game was a real improvement, it was a bit of a focus for us,” he said.
“It was a really good team performance, but we know we have got a job to do next week.
“The energy in the last quarter was great. We knew they were going to come at us, and we have got a few things to look at during the second quarter to fix.”
He said he couldn’t be prouder of the backline, which kept West Coast to only 10 goals for the game.
“They’ve been awesome,” he said. “They were under the pump at times, but they stood up as they have all year.
“That’s why (in terms of) points against, we are the best side in the league.”
Originally published as AFL Finals Saturday Special: Geelong defeats West Coast
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