Cats keep door open for another late change while the Giants make a plan for Jeremy Cameron
Geelong has kept the door open for another late change ahead of their GWS mega clash, while the Giants have made a plan for a Jeremy Cameron’s return to his former stomping ground.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Geelong has kept the door open for a late change ahead of its finals-shaping clash with GWS, with goal sneak Tyson Stengle travelling with the team to Sydney.
Stengle missed last week’s win over Richmond due to personal reasons and Cats coach Chris Scott on Thursday he was unsure if the All-Australian would face the Giants.
Stengle was then named an emergency for Geelong’s side on Thursday night and hasn’t been named in the VFL team that will play a curtain raiser against the Giants at 12.15pm on Saturday.
Fellow emergencies Mitch Knevitt and Jed Bews have been named in that team, with the curtain raiser allowing the Cats to take a huge contingent to Sydney.
Stengle has kicked 20 goals in 15 games this season, down on his outstanding output in his first two seasons at Geelong, but he booted four goals in a matchwinning effort against Gold Coast in round 13.
The Cats made a late change last weekend, with Bailey Smith (illness) replaced by Jack Bowes.
Jezza? Baz? Max? The Giant plan to stop Cats stars
- Lachlan McKirdy
The Giants are formulating a plan to treat former teammate Jeremy Cameron like an “Apple AirTag” as he prepares for his first game against his old club at the Showgrounds since he left the club.
Cameron and the Cats will take to Engie Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to end a run of three-straight defeats against the Giants.
And although Cameron is the odds-on favourite to claim another Coleman Medal with 52 goals in 16 matches this season, the Giants are hoping it won’t be a happy homecoming for the 32-year-old.
“There’s no easy answer, but whoever goes to him, just wear him like a glove and give him the respect he deserves,” GWS defender Connor Idun said.
“I think if you try and rely on team defence and letting him free at certain stoppages, it’s not going to work well.
“So, whoever is on him, treat him like a bit of an Apple AirTag and don’t give him too much space. Jezza knows the ground pretty well, so he’ll be excited.”
It was a similar philosophy from Adam Kingsley who believes it will take a whole-team approach to try and keep Cameron quiet, especially if he moves up the field like he did during their round nine meeting in Geelong.
“He does get up the ground and give their other forwards service too, which we want to try and restrict,” Kingsley said. “He started centre-square bounce last time against us, which I’m not sure they try to do that again.
“He’s certainly pretty handy wherever he plays, so we have to have a plan for wherever he lines up. And we’ve got plans in place.”
GWS will take a lot of confidence from their previous meeting with the Cats this year where they came out on top in a high-scoring shootout. In the free-flowing match, the Giants attacked the corridor and used the orange tsunami to lethal effect.
While Idun joked they might look to make the dimensions of Engie Stadium narrower to replicate GMHBA Stadium, the team is set to review the footage from that match intensely to try and find a similar advantage.
“We’ll potentially have a lot of younger boys playing, so it’s just preaching our system,” Idun said.
“If I’m one of the main leaders out there in the back line, it doesn’t matter who’s playing, we just preach the same system and they’re all capable.
“You see Leek Aleer coming in and playing his role really well and players like that. So I’m full of confidence, no matter who’s playing, that we can we can stack up against the Geelong forward line for sure.”
One extra headache for Kingsley is set to be the return of Bailey Smith to the Geelong midfield. He had 35 disposals, 704 metres gained and 10 tackles against the Giants earlier this season, picking up four coaches’ votes as the Cats almost got over the line late in the game.
He also ensured Geelong’s midfield finished well on top that day, as they finished +10 for clearances and +9 for centre clearances.
It means that even after a week on the sidelines, Smith is set to receive some extra attention with either he or Max Holmes likely to cop a tag from Toby Bedford.
“Bailey Smith has had a fantastic season,” Kingsley said. “He provides, with Max Holmes, a lot of their speed and run and skill, penetration.
“They’re a terrific ball-use team. Really hard to defend, and those two particularly contribute strongly to that. We’ll certainly have plans for Smith, and that may include Toby.
“They’re a high-quality team. It’s going to be a big challenge for us. We’ve played well down there, yes, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to up here. It is a slightly different ground, but the principles will remain the same.
“We’ve got to put them under pressure. That’s where it starts, and that’s where it starts every week. We talk about our midfield and the challenge that they’re going to have both in stoppage and in general play. Well, that’s where games are won or lost, and that’s how we treat it.”
Originally published as Cats keep door open for another late change while the Giants make a plan for Jeremy Cameron
Suspicions, side deals and the truth about footy’s player agents
As one club insider says, there have always been ‘suspicious theories’ about player agents. So, how does it actually work? Who pulls the strings? Who takes a cut? We take you inside footy’s player movement ecosystem.
Revealed: The agent behind every AFL-listed player
In a Code Sports exclusive, the ultimate list of player-agent ties lifts the lid on the master negotiators behind your club’s biggest stars, their contract stories and their future. SEE EVERY NAME.