Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood can’t do it all, writes Mark Robinson
THE Holy Trinity delivered as expected but Geelong still lost the match, and that is the worry confronting Cats coach Chris Scott, writes MARK ROBINSON.
Mark Robinson
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mark Robinson. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Holy Trinity can’t wholly do it all.
The inauguration of the era of Ablett, Dangerfield and Selwood culminated in defeat when Geelong succumbed to Hawthorn in yet another thrilling contest in an indelible rivalry.
The final margin was a point. The final score was 17.16 (118) to 18.9 (117).
A five-goal burst from the Hawks in the second quarter and another four-goal burst either side of three-quarter time ultimately proved the difference.
RUCK WOES: HAWKS EXPOSE CATS’ BIG (MAN) WEAKNESS
BETTER PLAYER: MITCHELL’S STAR RISING AT HAWKS
HIGH CONTACT: FANS FIRED UP OVER SLIPPERY SELWOOD
That was nine goals without a reply from the Cats and when you lose by such a close margin, the search for reasons why is fairly obvious.
Digging deeper is the job for the coach, Chris Scott.
As much as the focus was on Geelong’s trinity, as was to be expected, the reality was Hawthorn’s prolific midfielder Tom Mitchell was the best midfielder on the ground.
He is more than simply a ball-getter — it was 40 disposals to follow his 54 the previous week — and he is a genuine star of the competition because he wins the ball and uses the ball.
He had 23 contested possessions as well as 13 clearances and two goals and whoever says he doesn’t hurt the opposition is a fool. Football is a moments sport and Mitchell wins plenty of moments.
If he wasn’t best afield, it was Hawks ruckman Ben McEvoy.
He annihilated Rhys Stanley despite Stanley kicking two goals, and if there’s an immediate issue coach Chris Scott has to attend to, it is his rucking position.
The use of Ablett, Selwood and Dangerfield is also a work in progress.
It was theatre at the start when Ablett, Dangerfield and Selwood started in the centre of the MCG, Selwood to the left of the ruckman, Ablett at the top and Dangerfield behind.
MICK WARNER, JAY CLARK AND NICK SMART REVIEW A HUGE ROUND 2 IN THE SUPERFOOTY PODCAST
Who knows if there was a contest between the trio, but it was Dangerfield with the first possession and the first goal, although the other two each had a goal before quarter-time.
He’s an interesting player, Ablett. At 33, he appears to have lost a yard.
He was caught several times as he was about to get rid of the ball, and the trademark explosion away from stoppages, which was a dazzling element when he was the best player in the game, is not what it was.
He’s safe with the ball, Gazza, and if you were to be critical, sometimes he was too safe, preferring dinky kicks to his left and right instead of taking on the game via corridor or risky football.
Still, he found the ball when it was needed.
He was the highest ranked player on the ground in the pulsating final quarter. He had 10 disposals, seven contested possessions, five ground-ball gets and 158m gained.
He finished with 35 disposals, five clearances playing on an combination of Jaeger O’Meara (42 minutes), Liam Shiels (33 minutes) and Mitchell (19 minutes).
Suggestions he would play a lot more minutes forward were rejected, although when he kicked the goal in the first quarter in the Punt Rd pocket, the noise was thrilling.
Probably not since the preliminary final of 2010, Ablett’s last match for Geelong, has he heard a noise like it.
The forwards role, of course, will be Dangerfield’s to own.
Against the Cats he played 58 per cent forward and 48 per cent midfield (Ablett was 9/91 and Selwood 2/98).
Dangerfield had Ben Stratton as a defender when playing forward and mix of Mitchell, Shiels and O’Meara in the midfield. He had 31 disposals and two goals.
Selwood had Daniel Howe for the majority of the match and finished with 29 disposals and 10 clearances and a goal.
The worry for the Cats was the performance of the three of them was expected and delivered, yet they still lost the match.
Mitch Duncan missed because of injury and his return will aid the team, but there are issues in the ruck and the key defensive posts.
Zach Guthrie is not ready to take the opposition’s best talls but might have to do so until Harry Taylor and Lachie Henderson return.
In the meantime, it’s clear the Holy Trinity can play together, but they can’t do it all themselves.
How to get a team of champions to play like a champion might just be Scott’s major assignment as the year unfolds.
LIVE stream the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership on FOX SPORTS. Every match of every round LIVE in HD, with no ad-breaks siren-to-siren! Get your 2-week free trial now >
‘In games we give up’: Flag hero savages Dons as board war looms
‘We are no longer feared, we’re certainly not respected’ – Essendon premiership player Paul Weston has had enough. He tells MARK ROBINSON exclusively about his plan for change.
‘We’ve got champions who are zombies’: Mitchell’s plea for help
Last Monday, at just 58, Barry Mitchell was lying in Epworth Hospital wondering if the game he loves had almost killed him again. This is his confronting story the footy world needs to hear.