Burning questions for Geelong v Sydney Swans preliminary final: Does Jimmy Bartel play?

JIMMY Bartel is a legend of the Geelong Cats Football Club but is nearing the end of his career. Does he play in the preliminary final? CATS V SWANS BURNING QUESTIONS

Jon Ralph

@RalphyHeraldSun

3 min read

September 18, 2016 - 8:00PM

Jimmy Bartel was crucial against Hawthorn late but didn’t do much else. Picture: Michael Klein

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JIMMY Bartel is a legend of the Geelong Cats Football Club but is nearing the end of his career.

He’s a proven finals performer but was barely sighted against Hawthorn in the narrow qualifying final victory, so does he get a spot in the preliminary final team if someone needs to make way for Lachie Henderson?

And who gets Lance Franklin? The Swans megastar showed exactly why he’s a dominant force in finals particularly, with a starring role in the win over Adelaide.

Jon Ralph pulls apart Friday night’s huge preliminary final.

THE GAME: GEELONG v SYDNEY SWANS

Second Preliminary Final, MCG, Friday, 7:50pm

BARTEL OR COWAN. WHO DO YOU PICK?

Lachie Henderson just plays.

And you get the feeling the Cats need Tom Ruggles to take on a kid like Tom Papley or veteran Ben McGlynn.

So if Chris Scott has to drop someone is it tackling machine Cowan, with all due respect the last midfielder picked, or his veteran despite the fan anger it would cause?

Jimmy Bartel was crucial against Hawthorn late but didn’t do much else. Picture: Michael Klein

Scott doesn’t want Bartel to play on next year but effectively ending his career by dumping him for a preliminary final?

When he set up the first goal, won a key late hard ball and kept Josh Gibson quiet?

It would be the biggest call of his career, but then again he did shunt Stevie J and Paul Chapman into retirement.

WHO GETS THE BUDDY LOVE?

Tom Lonergan, still uncontracted for next year, was masterful in the last quarter against Hawthorn and now gets Lance Franklin for his troubles.

Yet he won’t mind — in their past five match-ups together he has allowed him only five goals in their direct time on each other.

One of those was the 2013 preliminary final, where he kept him to 16 touches and a goal.

Franklin was electric against Adelaide with a deep starting point and plentiful supply and feasted with four goals and lots of tackling pressure.

Lance Franklin was dominant against Adelaide in Sydney’s semi-final victory. Picture: Phil Hillyard

WHO HAS THE BETTER MIDFIELD WILDCARD?

What a midfield battle — Dangerfield, Selwood, Duncan, Blicavs and Menagola versus Kennedy, Parker, Jack, Hannebery and Mitchell.

But in their most recent finals wins the need for speed was supplied by Sydney’s Isaac Heeney and Geelong’s Cam Guthrie, who was unleashed in the second half.

Both teams will get plenty of clearances and have midfield heroes, but which of Guthrie or Heeney can feed on patches of dominance to run the lines and supply Tom Hawkins or Lance Franklin?

Heeney has recovered from a mid-season flat spot to kick 10 goals in seven weeks as well as averaged three inside 50sm, seven marks and 19 possessions.

DO SYDNEY TAG PATRICK DANGERFIELD?

Surely they do, after Tom Mitchell kept Patrick Dangerfield to 16 possession in the last three quarters in the surprise 38-point Simonds Stadium win in Round 16.

Danger still ended up with 34 touches (18 in the first quarter), 10 inside 50s, eight free kicks for and seven clearances, but the Swans won the day.

Patrick Dangerfield trains ahead of the preliminary final. Picture: Alison Wynd

Why not start that match-up from the first bounce, especially since Mitchell was able to held himself to 33 possessions as well.

Hawthorn’s team pressure forced Dangerfield onto his left foot in the qualifying final on a night where his 35 touches had less impact than the numbers suggested.

But if you have the perfect match-up why not apply it early and often?

INJURY LIST

GEELONG

Lachie Henderson (knee) available

Cory Gregson (foot) season

Jackson Thurlow (knee) season

SYDNEY

Gary Rohan (knee) TBC

Jarrad McVeigh (calf) TBC

Kurt Tippett (jaw) test

Zak Jones (concussion) test

Callum Mills (hamstring) 1-2 weeks

RALPHY SAYS: Sydney has a six-day break and wounded warriors, well-rested Geelong’s only issues are which in-form player to drop. Makes it hard to tip Sydney despite matchwinners Lance Franklin and Josh Kennedy.