Geelong has served up rubbish over the past three weeks, writes David King

THIS is not the Geelong we’ve become accustomed to. The Cats have had the fewest tackles over the past three weeks and their problems seem to be effort-based, writes DAVID KING.

Travis Varcoe leaves Geelong’s Jordan Murdoch in his wake. Picture: Michael Klein

WHAT Geelong has served up over the past three weeks appears confused, listless and without the required AFL-standard effort. What has happened?

Chris Scott fronts the media with confidence and authority, but behind closed doors he must be scratching his head and questioning his methods.

Scott’s biggest challenge is to identify whether the problems are effort-based or flaws in the system.

Geelong was always difficult to play against, but those days are gone.

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In the past three rounds, the Cats have been the easiest team in the competition to punish from clearances.

Essendon blew them away, exiting packs with pace. When was the last time you heard that about the Bombers?

Despite the names in there — Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan, Mark Blicavs — they are paying lip service to the defensive side of the game.

Geelong has had the fewest tackles over the past three weeks. It is just not having a red-hot go. At what point will someone say enough is enough? Who will it be? Or will no one say it?

Essendon forward Joe Daniher dashes away from Nakia Cockatoo last week. Picture: Getty Images

I can’t remember the last run-down tackle from Dangerfield, Selwood, Duncan or ­Steven Motlop.

When we see that, we can welcome Geelong back into the conversation. At the ­moment the Cats are way off the levels of the top clubs.

The stars must lead the way, and do so when the Cats don’t have the footy.

The Western Bulldogs are only an average clearance team this year and, over the past three weeks, have scored only 30 points a game from clearances, rated 13th.

Hardly frightening, but ­tonight’s game will be decided by either the Bulldogs’ clearance cleanness or the Cats’ clearance pressure.

“Don’t get beaten by what you know” is an old coaching mantra and Scott knows what’s coming.

The Bulldogs have had the courage and ruthlessness to omit the out-of-form Tom Liberatore.

I’m not sure of the Champion Data ranking points when he played ruck in Vietnam in the off-season, but he hasn’t returned the same player.

Mitch Wallis will now glue himself to Selwood and Jackson Macrae to Dangerfield. Call them tags, or run-withs if you like, but make no mistake, they’re coming.

What does Scott do to help Selwood and Dangerfield? Or does he simply challenge the two superstars to fight the fight and take control of their match-ups as they’ve done countless times before?

Scott must demand more physicality from his other 20 players towards attack Dogs Wallis and Macrae. The hunted must become the ­hunters.

The two Bulldogs must be blocked, bumped, tackled with extra grunt and not allowed an easy passage to hold or scrag their opponents.

If Wallis and Macrae are ­allowed to do as they please, Geelong is cooked for 2017.

The Cats must operate on, or even slightly over, the line of aggression.

Selwood aside, who can dictate physically for the Cats?

With their season on a knife edge, who stands up?

The Cats need to see more tackling from Patrick Dangerfield. Picture: AAP

It will be fascinating to watch on Friday night.

Geelong sits fifth, with five wins and three losses. It has played only one team currently in the top eight, St Kilda, which gave it trouble before Selwood (of course) stood tall in a brutal 30-minute display.

The 17th-placed Collingwood pressured the Cats into submission in Round 6 and they couldn’t get the ball out of their defence.

The 13th-placed Suns enjoyed an uninterrupted stroll from end to end as the Cats bought a substandard tackling and harassment level and a Swiss cheese forward press in Round 7.

Scott will need either to commit to a forward-half press or opt for a one-on-one style of defence like Sydney’s, because the half in, half out model is failing.

Bear in mind the Swans’ style demands significant midfield pressure and that’s something that has been lacking at the Cattery.

The dimensions of Simonds Stadium could mask these ­issues in the short term, but they are there nonetheless.

Another real problem for the Cats is that their premiership window is the next two to three years — and the heat is on list decisions made over the past six years.

Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury breaks a Mark Blicavs tackle. Picture: Michael Klein

Last week Geelong fielded the third-oldest 22 in the ­competition.

The Cats have had only three picks in the first 25 in the national draft in the past six seasons and their returns have been underwhelming, to say the least: Jackson Thurlow (No. 16 in 2012), Darcy Lang (No. 16 in 2013) and Nakia Cockatoo (No. 10 in 2014).

In that period, players ­recruited in trades have included Hamish McIntosh, Josh Caddy and Mitch Clark, all no longer at the club.

Rhys Stanley, Lachie Henderson, Zac Smith, Aaron Black and Zach Tuohy, who still have an ­opportunity to alter Geelong’s future, appear part of the problem, not the solution, ­because of their ages, form or sporadic contributions.

Obviously Dangerfield is a recruit who requires a different perspective. His form drop is a result of a rib cage knock.

Geelong’s years of success allow it the luxury of time for correction before its current output is called for what it is — a complete mess.

Luke Beveridge has made a statement by omitting the Dogs’ most popular player to shake his side out of its slumber.

Over to you, Chris Scott.

The new Simonds Stadium looks amazing. Now let’s see if the home team can match that.