All the Cats news following Easter Monday clash
One of the best kicks in the league, Mitch Duncan puts one skill above others when executing the risky passes that can lead to goals.
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As the rain started to fall and Geelong started to plot a way back against Hawthorn on Easter Monday, Mitch Duncan had the ball at centre half-back.
He had received a short pass from Tom Stewart, who had just intercepted a James Worpel attacking kick.
As is often the case on the counter-attack, players were scattered everywhere like seagulls around hot chips.
Duncan had the corridor to choose from and instead of fanning the ball out wide, the experienced Cat picked his target and in his typical surgical fashion, pinpointed Brandan Parfitt on the attacking side of the centre circle.
Kicks like that are the most dangerous in footy, slightly off target and the ball is going over your head and you are going to be sitting on the bench on the phone to the coach’s box.
But Duncan committed to his kick, nailed the 40m pass and found Parfitt 80m from goal, with an open forwardline in front of him.
Parfitt’s next kick found Tom Hawkins with plenty of space on the lead inside-50,
Hawkins went on to miss that shot and the Cats lost the day to the Hawks, but Duncan’s masterful kick deserves attention to its ability to slice open opposition defences.
It is a kick Duncan has made over and over in his 240 games, with the West Australian always near the top of the list for handball receives at Geelong as they hunt him out to use his laserlike right boot.
He said hitting those delicate and damaging kicks came down to making the right decisions.
“I get asked this a fair bit but I suppose you just have to have confidence in your ability to hit those kicks (first) but you just have to have understanding of the space and where people are moving,” he said.
“I think a lot of good kicks are good decision makers and they don’t necessarily take the hardest kick every time but when they do they make a decision and they are confident enough to execute their skill.
“That is something I pride myself on and when it is there in the game I try to take it.
“You have to commit to it, there is no doubt about that.”
SCOTT VOWS TO CUT UMPIRE DISSENT IN THE BOX
Geelong coach Chris Scott has declared he will try and temper his reactions to umpiring decisions in the coach’s box, to fall in line with the AFL’s crackdown on umpire dissent on field.
Players were warned by AFL football operations head Brad Scott this week that umpires would go even harder on any clear protests on field this weekend, as part of a mandate to send the right message to youngsters watching the game.
While players erring cop a 50m penalty, there is no punishment for a coach reacting negatively to an on-field decision but Scott said mentors should fall in line.
The Geelong coach has been the star of countless memes for his reactions in the box over the years and said he makes those gestures to get out any internal emotions.
“Most of the time when I am really over the top in the box, I am reacting to something positive,” he said.
“I’m saying to you that I will do my very best to ensure it doesn’t revolve around getting frustrated with umpires, it will be off the back of good things that our players do.”
Scott said he would likely slip up in coming weeks – just as players have – as he tried to fall in line by setting a good example for fans at home.
“I’m fallible even as a coach, I am more than happy to say that if we are all-in on this than let’s be all-in,” he said.
“I will probably muck it up. The reason it is not so important for the people in the box is that you can’t get a 50 (penalty) paid against you when you are in the box but the overall rationale and intention of the rule is sound so I am prepared to back that in.
“You also want to be really clear that the footage that is being used is in reference to an umpiring decision. If we have that deal that there will be complete transparency that what is broadcast is representative of the incident, than I am happy with that.”
Debate engulfed the AFL world this week about the new rule after Hawthorn seemingly gave away a 50m penalty in the third quarter of its win over Geelong on Monday after senior players Jack Gunston and Tom Mitchell asked questions of an umpire, while Carlton’s George Hewett raised his arms to appeal against a free and wasn’t penalised.
Scott said his players were clear on the rule and he expected them to adjust to it quickly.
PARFITT KEEN TO START TALKS ON NEW CONTRACT
With his 100th game milestone behind him, Geelong midfielder Brandan Parfitt is ready to begin talks on a new deal to stay at the Cats.
Parfitt, 24, is one of Geelong’s most prized signatures this year given his age and experience as a centre-bounce midfielder.
He last signed a two-year deal at the end of 2020 after stonewalling interest from the GWS Giants as they circled targets in the Jeremy Cameron trade.
Parfitt had 20 family members fly in from stops such as Adelaide, Sydney and Darwin to see his 100th match on Monday, a disappointing loss to Hawthorn.
Parfitt lives with fellow first-year Cat Tyson Stengle – Quinton Narkle is due to move out but has been slowed down packing boxes while he recovers from an ankle injury – and is keen to stay at Geelong when his contract expires at the end of this season
“I was talking to my manager at the start of the year and we wanted to get over the 100-game hump first and then we can reassess what is going on but I love Geelong and I am really enjoying it here,” he said.
“I will have to see where we are at with everything now, I haven’t talked to him (manger Tim Lawrence) much since but we will have to get the ball rolling.
“I am really enjoying it here so hopefully we can sort something out.”
A hard-nut midfielder, Parfitt was described by coach Chris Scott last week as the type of player all clubs want given his age and experience over his first five seasons at Geelong.
He said he is beginning to grasp his leadership and wants to pass down the knowledge learned from some all-time greats to the next generation of Cats midfielders.
“I’ve got to see first-hand how to go about things, working under Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett, so many good players I have got to play and train with and I have learned so much,” he said.
“I’s one of the younger ones playing most weeks in the midfield, I guess some of the guys who are playing in there now are getting to the end of their careers so I want to help the younger guys coming through that are under me.
“There are some good players that are playing in the VFL at the moment who will probably be playing (AFL) in the next few years so I want to help them as much as I can to take the next step.”
DANGERFIELD BATTLING CALF INJURY, HENRY SCANS INCONCLUSIVE
Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield carried a sore calf into Monday’s loss to Hawthorn that was aggravated by an early knock, while teammate Jack Henry’s initial foot scans have come back inconclusive.
Dangerfield was seen with a strapped right calf at training on the Friday before the Hawthorn defeat but he was passed fit and reached top speed in the days leading into the game.
He then copped a knock to the same area early in the clash, which hampered his output and Dangerfield spent most of the second half up forward.
During the match he appeared uncharacteristically unsure he could carry the distance when lining up for goal twice outside the 50m arc and ended the day with 17 disposals.
The initial calf injury has not hindered Dangerfield throughout the season before this week and was likened to normal in-season wear and tear by Cats footy boss Simon Lloyd.
Dangerfield will be assessed ahead of Sunday’s clash against North Melbourne and remains in the selection frame, however the Cats have been clear this season they are keen to rest senior players when applicable.
Defender Henry pulled up sore after his left foot landed on a Hawthorn player on Monday and rolled but despite the uncertainty, he is yet to be ruled out of Sunday’s game.
“He has pulled up sore and at this present point of time, the scans he has had are inconclusive,” Lloyd told the Geelong Addy on Thursday.
“We are going to take a cautious approach with any reloading.
“We just need to take a cautious approach to see how he is tracking over the coming week.”
Henry had surgery on the same foot over pre-season to heal a fracture and Cats coach Chris Scott noted on Monday that the high leaper has a metal rod in his foot that is expected to help with stability.
Cam Guthrie pulled up well after copping a knock in the first quarter of the Hawks loss and Jed Bews (shoulder) is expected to face the Kangaroos.
Esava Ratugolea (ankle) is yet to get the all-clear but is expected to be available, as is Shaun Higgins (concussion).
ANALYSIS: THE NUMBER THE CATS NEED TO FIX UP
Chris Scott is right when he says there is a lot of variable noise about the simple contested possession number in any given AFL game.
But the stat is quickly becoming a bellwether for Geelong in 2022.
In looking for patterns in the first five Geelong games, winning the ball when it is in dispute has carried momentum like Tyler Wright on the Bells Beach surf.
It is already well documented that on Monday Geelong was rocked early and the Hawks had three goals and 19 disposals on the statsheet while the Cats’ had laid an Easter egg.
In that blistering Hawthorn start, led by nuggety Jai Newcombe, the Hawks were first to the ball and won the opening stanza as a result.
“We just couldn’t get our hands on the ball,” Cats midfielder Mitch Duncan put it bluntly.
At quarter-time, Hawthorn led five goals to one and led the contested ball count 35-22.
Through Joel Selwood’s toughness – a never-ending resource that has lasted longer than any prime minister outside of Robert Menzies – the Cats clawed their way back into it but the scales were tipped again in the final term, when the Hawks had 19 more contested possessions.
The Cats crumbled in that final term, didn’t kick a goal and very quietly rolled out of the MCG car park as losers on Easter Monday for only the third time.
That contested ball count has told a tale all season.
In round 1, Geelong eviscerated a sad-sack Essendon midfield and won the count by 42.
The Cats and Swans tied a week later, but only after Geelong went plus 9 in the count in the minutes after Lance Franklin crowd-surfed his way into folklore and the game was essentially dead.
Against Collingwood in round 3, the Magpies had a mind-boggling 23 more contested possessions in the third term alone and became the first team since 2005 to pile nine goals on the Cats in a single quarter.
Burnt, the Cats beat the Pies by 14 in our count in the final term to romp home in a stunning comeback.
In Geelong’s most complete performance of the season so far in round 4, the Cats narrowly fell in the contested ball count 132-133.
That single stat has more noise than a Foo Fighters gig at GMHBA Stadium, it is counted from any ball in dispute, at ground level, in the air or even some free kicks.
Some sides have shunted it to the side – notoriously Richmond would routinely lose the contested count and burn teams on the turnover – yet clearly when the Cats win the ball at the coalface, they win on the scoreboard too.
“Often those numbers, you need to dig a little bit deeper, they are not very qualitative those contested ball numbers,” Scott said after the Hawthorn loss.
“But when the disparity is that great when the heat is really on the game, I think the weight of numbers kind of showed.”
The Cats have been one of the best contested sides in football in this recent era under Scott, since the start of 2019, and to bank the wins they need this campaign they need to win it in the contest.
CATS WAIT ON SCANS FOR JACK HENRY INJURY
Geelong is awaiting scans on defender Jack Henry’s foot to learn the severity of his injury ahead of its clash with North Melbourne on Sunday.
The defender was subbed out of the Easter Monday loss to Hawthorn after stepping on an opponent’s foot.
It is the same foot that Henry had pre-season surgery on to repair a bone stress injury.
“We’ll take a cautious approach with his reloading and get some further imaging done to investigate further,” head of medical and conditioning services Harry Taylor said.
Patrick Dangerfield will be monitored after receiving a corky in the 12-point loss to the Hawks.
“Patrick Dangerfield had a cork in the game, relatively early in the contest and managed to play out the game,” Taylor said.
“We’ll monitor him throughout the rest of the week.”
Dangerfield has recorded 20 disposals once since his dominant round 1 performance against Essendon, Chris Scott admitting post-match on Monday that he’s been battling some “niggles”.
“He’s played forward a little bit (and) he’s had a few little niggles that haven’t kept him out of games that might be holding him back a little bit,” Scott said.
Jed Bews is expected to be available after copping a knock to his shoulder on Monday.
Sam Menegola is inching closer to a return following a concussion he suffered on April 2 in the VFL.
“Sam is reintegrating into full contact training,” Taylor said.
“He’s building his loads following the concussion protocols.”
Youngster Flynn Kroger (hip) is set to return to full training later this week, while James Willis (knee) is back completing football drills and ruckman Toby Conway (hip) is continuing to build his loads.
Gary Rohan is progressing towards full fitness following a pre-season hampered by a hip and back sciatica.
Jonathon Ceglar (foot), Quinton Narkle (ankle) and Sam Simpson (concussion) are continuing to complete their respective reconditioning plans.
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