Gary Ablett silences boo boys with dominant performance in Geelong’s victory over Richmond
After another night where Gary Ablett silenced the ‘boo boys’ with a dominant performance, one of his star teammates has urged fans to keep it up.
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Boo Gazza at your own peril.
That’s the message from Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield in response to the booing of teammate Gary Ablett — and the dual Brownlow medallist’s outstanding performance — on Friday night.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ WHAT THE COACHES SAID
Ablett was again booed by Richmond supporters, but responded magnificently, having 24 disposals, kicking two goals and having nine scoring involvements.
“He is just so damn good,” Dangerfield said after the Cats’ 67-point victory over the Tigers. “Boo at your own peril … he just rises to every occasion.”
“It is just extraordinary what he is able to do, to see what no one else sees.
“(I would say) keep booing him because he doesn’t care and he is going to cut you to pieces (regardless).”
In what world would booing this great champion of the game make someone feel better about their own life? Plus from the crossroads to a flag for the taking https://t.co/Tpu6812LvZ
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) June 7, 2019
Cats coach Chris Scott said it was possible Ablett rose to the occasion when the opposition crowd starts to heckle or boo him.
Ruckman Rhys Stanley echoed Dangerfield’s sentiments on Saturday.
“I guess that’s part of being Gary Ablett,” Stanley said on SEN.
“I think the cheers were a bit louder than the boos in the end. He came out and performed brilliantly.
“Keep booing him and we will keep enjoying him playing well.”
Ablett has had an extraordinary season, considering he went into this season with the Cats playing down their expectations on the 35-year-old.
Dangerfield said Ablett remained a very important part of a forward line that is “humming”, and producing stunning accuracy where other teams are dishing up some of the worst conversion rates in modern history.
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“It has a great balance between attack and defence, and it is a really hard forward line to get the ball out of,” Dangerfield said. “It showed with how many Richmond handballs (came) out of a contest, and that was because of the pressure.”
“It’s led by big Tommy (Hawkins). We have had some great recruiting in the off-season with Gary Rohan and Lukey Dahlhaus. We have some new players in Tommy Atkins and Gryan Miers, playing the way they are. Brandon Parfitt and others are playing though there.
“Then there is the ‘Little Master’ (Ablett) doing his thing.”
The Cats have so far beaten 11 of the top 13 teams from last year in their 11-1 start to the season, but Dangerfield says none of that will matter unless they can produce a strong second half of the season.
“There is so much work ahead,” he said. “The competition changes quickly and we can reflect and say we are playing good footy (now), but if you look too far behind, then you fail to see what’s in front of you.”
HOW THE MATCH WAS WON: JON RALPH
Twenty months ago as Richmond laid waste to Geelong in an MCG qualifying final masterclass, Chris Scott’s Cats were at the crossroads.
Couldn’t handle the MCG, couldn’t keep the ball inside 50m, weren’t much chop at winning finals any more either.
Geelong fans will wake up in the knowledge daylight is behind them in second place on the ladder after Friday night’s mauling of the Tigers.
And if they are honest they will realise a golden opportunity beckons for this side to win its fourth premiership in 12 completed seasons.
The distractions were twofold — the pathetic booing of Gary Ablett and an AFL score review system that is an embarrassment to this competition.
But dig deeper and the evidence is there Geelong has eradicated every one of those doubts during a 3-9 finals record since 2011.
STATS, SCORES: DANGER, GAZZA SIZZLE
Don’t look now but a side with an MCG hoodoo is 4-0 there in 2019, having knocked over Collingwood, Hawthorn, Essendon and Richmond at the home of footy.
The forward half pressure game that has become Geelong’s identity is well publicised.
And the Cats couldn’t have come out with a more impressive road test for the kind of finals-list pressure they will face in September.
Early on Richmond dialled up a full-frontal assault on Geelong’s players with a 32-14 tackle count and the demons of that 2017 final looked on show again.
Patrick Dangerfield was forced into those same old errors, Mark Blicavs looked shaky on the last line and the Tigers should have cashed in with more than 2.1 in the first stanza.
Great sides find another gear, and in a flash the Cats had turned this contest into a full-blown rout.
The swiftness of the momentum change and the Cats’ determination to put the foot to the throat of an understrength Richmond was savage.
When Gary Ablett wasn’t handing out goals to Dangerfield or Gryan Miers he was slotting them on the run, as everyone joined the party.
By the final siren Ablett was best-afield, Dangerfield and Tim Kelly weren’t far behind, Tom Hawkins had again slotted four goals and the Cats had again boosted their percentage.
There is even a silver lining to a hamstring injury to Esava Ratugolea, with the bye ahead and the luxury of resting battered players later in the year.
Richmond is missing seven of its best players, including Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Kane Lambert and Toby Nankervis.
But none of that excuses the middle two quarters as the Tigers coughed up 15 goals after showing how lethal their tackling pressure could be.
At least Patrick Naish had his moment to cherish, slamming through a skidding goal in the first term and looking handy on debut.
GOAL REVIEW FARCE
How much more evidence do you want the goal review is broken after Jack Higgins’ snapped goal was officially deemed a behind when it was clearly over the line when touched by Harry Taylor.
It was the third major error in nine games of football since last Saturday.
And the seventh clanger since Damien Hardwick labelled the system “deplorable” and an “embarrassment to our game” after an incorrect overrule on another Jack Higgins goal last May.
The more Fox Footy investigated the Chris Mayne incident of last Saturday, the more convinced they were that was a case of human error too.
Find the money for the bunker, and implement it as quickly as possible but this is just plain embarrassing.
GEELONG 0.2 7.4 15.8 16.8 (104) def RICHMOND 2.1 2.4 3.6 5.7 (37)
Goals: Geelong: T Hawkins 4 G Miers 3 E Ratugolea 2 G Ablett 2 G Rohan M Duncan P Dangerfield R Stanley T Kelly Richmond: D Butler D Martin J Castagna P Naish T Lynch. OfficialCrowd: 65,214 at MCG.
Best: Geelong: Ablett, Dangerfield, Kelly, Hawkins, Stewart, Miers, Stanley, Ratugolea, Guthrie
Richmond: Prestia, Martin, Cotchin, Houli, McIntosh, Vlastuin
JON RALPH’S VOTES:
3 — Gary Ablett
2 — Patrick Dangerfield
1 — Tim Kelly
HARDWICK: WE WERE BELTED AROUND THE FOOTY
Damien Hardwick says Richmond’s injury issues show no signs of abating as he admitted his side was “belted” around the ball at times in the 67-point loss to Geelong.
Not only did the Tigers lose valuable percentage, they will go into Thursday night’s away clash against Adelaide with several stars banged up.
Dustin Martin should play despite hobbling around with a heavily corked leg against Geelong, with Nick Vlastuin also battling a hip injury.
Hardwick admitted David Astbury (hamstring) and Kane Lambert (achilles) would likely not be back because the club has the bye after the Adelaide clash.
The Tigers premiership coach said the injuries were no excuse for his club’s lack of grunt in the midfield when they allowed the Cats 15 goals in the second and third quarters.
Hardick labelled the Cats the game’s best team, marvelling at their backline organisation and ability to score heavily in bursts.
But he defended Tom Lynch’s output after only a single goal and nine possessions, saying he wasn’t recruited to be the Richmond “messiah”.
“It is quarter two and three that set us back. We got belted around the ball and our workrate off the ball was a factor that set us back. Contested ball in both quarters we were minus 18 and the tackle count was only even. We have got some work to do in a few areas but it’s in our control. Sides go through injuries but we expect to play better than we did tonight.”
Hardwick refused to buy into the latest Jack Higgins score review controversy, saying bluntly: “I don’t care. I think we can spend our money on better things (than bunkers). Let the umpires make the decision, it’s been happening for 150 years or more.”
He believes Dustin Martin should take on Adelaide even if at less than 100 per cent.
“He got a massive corky tonight and was hobbling around late. We thought about icing him up but he wanted to fight out that last quarter. It is too early, he finished off the game and will look after himself. We assume he will play. (Brendon) Ellis is possible (with a groin issue), Astbury is less likely than likely at this stage.”
He said Astbury’s injury wasn’t a routine hamstring strain but given it continued to flare up they were likely to give him until after the bye.
Hardwick fiercely defended Tom Lynch, saying he was often playing against multiple defenders as he came off a PCL reconstruction.
“I thought he looked lively early but the fact of the matter is we have a one man key forward line without Jack (Riewoldt). I know people keep looking for him to be the messiah but we got him to create contests. After the break he will train twice a week and it will improve his ability to get up around the ground.”
He said Geelong was the best team the Tigers had faced because of their potency and organisation down back.
“They set up behind the ball very well. Their ability to spread contest to contest we knew about. The other thing we did speak to our players about was their ability to score heavily in periods. And we spoke to the players but it’s a harder thing absorbing it. It’s not often in games you see 15 goals in two quarters.”
CHRIS SCOTT: THOSE WHO BOO GAZ NEED TO LOOK AT THEMSELVES
Geelong coach Chris Scott asked AFL fans to search their consciences before booing Gary Ablett after the dual Brownlow Medallist was booed at stages of the club’s powerhouse 67-point flogging of Richmond.
As the AFL prepares to deal today with yet another controversial goal review decision, the booing of Ablett was also back on the agenda.
While Scott did not want to make a big issue of the booing of his 35-year-old star — and stressed it was very different to what happened to Adam Goodes — he said maybe it was time for fans to pause a moment and think about their actions.
“It doesn’t worry (Ablett) at all,” Scott said when quizzed about it. “It is just a question of where if it were possible, that would be better directed at those supporters.”
“They are the ones who got to search their conscience.
“I don’t want to overplay it, because I don’t think it is a big issue. It is completely separate to the Adam Goodes situation which is a stain on our football history.
“The people who are doing it … maybe they should pause a little and say everyone makes mistakes in life, do we really want to the same mistake over again.”
Scott said: “If you looked at the hierarchy of difficulties of being an AFL footballer, getting booed by opposition supporters is towards the bottom, I can tell you.”
He added he was “really proud” that Geelong fans didn’t jeer former Cat Dan Menzel when he played for Sydney at GMHBA Stadium last week.
“But as I said then, I am not in the habit of lecturing our supporters, let alone opposition supporters,” he said.
The AFL will today respond to the latest goal review controversy after a Jack Higgins shot for goal in the second quarter created yet another stir.
The kick was ruled a behind by the goal umpire, though he asked for the decision to be reviewed.
The vision appeared to show the ball go through for a goal without hitting the post or being touched by anyone, but the review determined it was a behind.
Scott hadn’t looked into the vision, but said the current system was better than the previous one.
“I think it is better than the previous situation, which was allowing howlers though,” he said. “I take cue from Ross Lyon … the rub of the green sometimes goes with you and sometimes against you.”
The Cats are confident forward Esava Ratugolea (hamstring tightness) will be right to play after the break.
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