Geelong Cats v West Coast: All the news ahead of Round 6 AFL
A couple of Cats put their hand up for AFL selection in a dominant win in a practice match on Saturday morning. Who will be pushing a case for the senior side this week?
Geelong
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MOST eyes were on the look out for Nick Daicos as the AFL Academy took on Geelong’s VFL side in a practice match before the main event on Saturday.
Sam Simpson looked in good touch in his first match of the season after recovering from a shoulder injury, while an Irishman looked at home in a new role as the Cats cruised to a 130-point win.
SAM SIMPSON
PICKED up right where he left off last year in his role as a high half-forward.
Was typically classy and composed with the ball and set up multiple scoring chains.
Simpson will likely need at least another week of conditioning before AFL selection but he didn’t show much rust in his return, which was capped off with a brilliant snap at goal in the final term after he stepped around three opponents.
QUINTON NARKLE
BEST on ground against a weak opposition in the midfield.
Narkle was hard to bring down as always but at times wasted his possessions and wasn’t always clean kicking the ball inside-50.
Sat out the final term after a rolled ankle but didn’t look hobbled.
DARCY FORT
LOOKS ready to be considered for the senior side after an interrupted start to the season.
While Fort was playing against much younger opponents, he was clean in the ruck and even bounded out of the centre from a bounce at one point.
CHARLIE CONSTABLE
FOUND heaps of the ball as usual and at times just looked simply too big and strong for his opponents.
Keeps knocking on the door of AFL selection.
SAM DE KONING
WAS stationed deep forward in the second half and provided a target and contest.
Got two hands to several chances but couldn’t cling on, yet did the heavy lifting in what was a short forward line as Josh Jenkins and Esava Ratugolea watched on.
Came off sore in the final term after throwing himself into a big collision in a marking contest.
MAX HOLMES
AS always Holmes’ running power was on display as he played a half-forward role.
Kicked a lovely goal in the third term and was generally clean by foot, finishing with three majors.
STEFAN OKUNBOR
WAS thrown into the midfield and responded by putting together a superb performance.
His running power was notable and he managed to get into the right spots time and time again to link up in the midfield and booted a long goal from the centre square in the third term.
After playing as a defender with the club in the past, Okunbor showed signs he could become a midfielder in the future but needs to clean up some of his disposal.
JEREMY CAMERON STEPS UP PREPERATION TO SHRUG OFF INJURY
- Josh Barnes
STAR Cat Jeremy Cameron has stepped up his physical preparation during the week leading into games after revealing he “drifted” in his first decade in the AFL.
The Geelong recruit missed the first five weeks of the season after injuring his hamstring on the verge of Round 1 and had to deal with the frustration of watching on at his new club.
He said the time out made him realise he needs to be more diligent with his body to ensure soft tissue injuries don’t become a theme of his time at his second club.
“For the first ten years of my career I have been pretty laid back in terms of warm ups and I would still warm up in a good way but am I doing everything absolutely spot on? I think over the first ten years of my career, definitely not,” he said following a thumping win over West Coast.
“There were times where I just drifted through a bit so I found myself putting in a lot more time during the week with the rehab guys and the fitness staff to get that right and put myself in the best possible position to get out there and play.”
Cameron slotted in seamlessly to a forward half that booted 21 goals as Geelong destroyed West Coast.
A running left foot snap opened the former Giant’s account in the hoops before following up minutes later with a classy dribble goal as the Cats piled on ten goals unanswered in the second quarter.
Cameron got the typical GMHBA Stadium treatment when he was given a standing ovation from the adoring one-eyed fans as he headed to the bench following his second goal.
“I had to run from the other side of the ground so I was spent by the time I got there but the crowd got me to the bench and that was a cool experience,” he said.
“I am really grateful for everything Geelong has done for me in getting me down here and settling me in. It has been a really easy transition and hopefully there are more games to come.
“To get a couple (of goals) and get involved really did give me chills. It was a cool experience.”
NEW FOWARD WEAPON MITCH DUNCAN TORPEDOES TO SUCCESS
– Josh Barnes
ALL eyes were on Jeremy Cameron’s debut but Geelong may have found a different forward weapon in its thumping win over West Coast.
After booting a career-high four goals, Mitch Duncan can expect to spend more time forward of the ball in what proved to be an inspired move.
The classy Cat has drifted into attack in the past – he has kicked more than 20 goals in a season four times – but he was stationed in the forward-50 for longer against the Eagles to good effect.
A straightforward miss in the final quarter cost Duncan a five-goal haul but Cats coach Chris Scott was happy with what he saw.
“We have seen him play forward a bit, last year he played forward (at times),” Scott said.
“He has a knack of kicking goals. I think he was a bit flat that he missed that shot late to kick five.
“It was working for us and we persisted with it.”
One of Geelong’s cleanest users by foot, Duncan had 12 score involvements from his 26 disposals and went at 80 per cent efficiency.
The highlight of his day was undoubtedly a torpedo from outside 50 after the siren to cap a dominant second quarter.
Forward Brad Close was on the bench when Duncan lined up his kick that left the crowd on their feet.
“I was right behind it and even everyone on the bench was pretty pumped and it was a pretty remarkable kick in the end,” Close said.
“We were thinking, ‘is he going to go the torp from here?’. You could see it slowly drifting and when it got there you could hear the crowd erupt. It was a pretty cool moment.”
Also thrown around across the field, Jack Henry enjoyed arguably his best game for the club.
The young defender took four contested marks helping in defence and was valuable as a second ruckman who drifted forward to have three inside-50s and he also kicked a glorious banana goal.
“He marked the ball in defence and he competed really hard in the ruck,” Scott said.
“He is a really powerful unit Jack, he is probably sneaky tall, taller than most people give him credit for.
“The thing we saw from him when he was in the ruck was that he was able to follow up at ground level and he was a real handful in there.”
SHAUN HIGGINS ON THE CUSP OF RETURN
– Josh Barnes
SMOOTH mover Shaun Higgins will push his case for a return from a double injury before next week’s crunch clash with Sydney.
The Geelong recruit was sidelined after a Round 3 win over Hawthorn in which he both fractured his thumb and injured his hamstring.
Higgins injured the thumb in a regulation brush off with a Hawks opponent and then twinged the hamstring minutes later, forcing him to sit out the rest of the tight win.
He said the hamstring has made a full recovery and the thumb was the only thing holding him back from facing the Swans next Saturday night.
“I was keen to play next week, not sure if that will be 100 per cent locked in,” Higgins told Triple M.
“The hamstring is 100 per cent right, I am getting some good conditioning and running in but it’s just the thumb that I had surgery on that we might need to give it another week.
“I thought I just jarred (the thumb) until I had a look at it and it didn’t look great and then maybe five minutes later I had a little tweak in the hamstring so I went off.”
Higgins said he hoped his own quick recovery could be replicated by star teammate Patrick Dangerfield, who underwent ankle surgery during the week.
The early timeline for the Brownlow medallist’s return hovers around two months but Higgins said he had high hopes.
“ (Dangerfield) tends to heal quicker than anyone I have seen so hopefully that is the case with this one,” he said.
Quinton Narkle was the major concern from Geelong’s VFL practice match before the clash with West Coast.
After starring in the first three quarters of a 130-point win, Narkle injured his right ankle and sat out the final term but did appear to be walking freely.
Young big man Sam De Koning copped a knock in the back after a collision in a marking contest and will be assessed.
Fellow big man Esava Ratugolea watched on from the stands due to soreness as he continues his recovery from a leg injury.
CAMERON FINALLY EARNS GEELONG DEBUT
GEELONG has replaced one superstar with another for its clash with West Coast on Saturday, naming boom recruit Jeremy Cameron for his first official game in the blue-and-white hoops.
It has taken until Round 6 to get him in the team after off-season hamstring issues, but Cameron’s inclusion comes at a crucial time for the Cats, who are set to be without champion midfielder Patrick Dangerfield for an extended period after he underwent ankle surgery this week.
Although not a like for like replacement, the boost Cameron will provide Geelong is almost immeasurable – his goalkicking prowess will be a welcome addition but he will also offer his new team’s midfielders another avenue to goal besides fellow spearhead Tom Hawkins.
Last week’s debutant Sam De Koning was the unfortunate player to make way for Cameron, while Irishman Mark O’Connor returns after missing the win against the Kangaroos to take up his new spot in the midfield.
There are multiple options for O’Connor should he be given a tagging assignment against the Eagles, including former teammate Tim Kelly, who returns to GMHBA Stadium for the first time since being traded two years ago.
Geelong coach Chris Scott hinted earlier in the week that finding a match-up for O’Connor was far from a simple task.
“Every opposition has two, three, four midfielders who can potentially be really damaging,” Scott said.
“That is not the difficult part of the assessment, you can always come up with players that will be good match-ups.
“It is how it affects the rest of our team and how we want to play. So we have put a bit of thought into that already and there is still a bit more thought to go.”
As reported this week West Coast will be without veteran forward Josh Kennedy, while former Cat Jamaine Jones has been named after serving as the medical sub against Collingwood. – LACHIE YOUNG
STANLEY ON NIC NAT BATTLE
GEELONG ruckman Rhys Stanley wants to try run star West Coast big man Nic Naitanui off his feet in his 150th match as the Cats look to improve from a “patchy” start to the season.
Stanley will have one of the biggest challenges in football in trying to contain the dual All Australian at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
Naitanui is at the peak of his powers, ranked first by Champion Data for clearances and centre bounce clearances and second in hitouts to advantage.
Stanley said he would try “not so much stop him, but challenge him”.
“He’s got some tricks and he’s been doing it for a long time and I think he’s got his body in a really good space at the moment and is obviously injury-free,” Stanley said.
“He seems to be playing back at his prime sort of level and he’s playing with confidence again, which is obviously good to see and good to see him playing his best.
“I’ll have to try and find ways to run him around … might be able to blow him up a little bit.”
Stanley said he had stop Naitanui from getting the game on his terms.
“(If) he gets it on his terms and finds his groove, he’s very hard to stop. He’s a good player. I’m obviously going to have my work cut out for me,” he said.
“I’ll just try and be as active as I can and move him around the ground and try and get him to chase me around a little bit.”
Stanley reaches his 150th match in his 13th year in the system.
The father-of-two has played 91 games with Geelong since being traded by St Kilda at the end of 2014.
“It’s taken me a while to get there — 2008 I was drafted,” Stanley said.
“I’ve obviously had some injuries along the way. I’m obviously pretty happy to have been able to hang around long enough to play that many, and hopefully a few more.”
Stanley said he was proud that had overcome adversity in reaching the milestone.
“When I kept ripping hamstrings, that wasn’t fun,” he said.
“Had the broken foot and other bits and bobs. It wasn’t great spending so much time in rehab.
“Being at Geelong, once I sort of got there and found a groove, I got some confidence and had a really good coaching group and group of players around me that gave me the confidence to build my game and build that consistency in my game.”
Stanley said Geelong’s 3-2 start to the season had been “patchy” and “frustrating”.
“We’re just going,” he said.
“There’s some good parts of our game and stuff we’d love to work on and get better.
“It’s a long season. We’ve got a long way to go.”
STATS REVEAL CATS’ SLIDE IN 2021
— Toby Prime
CHRIS Scott has defended his side’s unconvincing start to the season and criticism from fans and commentators of Geelong’s game plan as star recruit Jeremy Cameron closes in on a club debut.
The Cats have limped to a 3-2 start and have fallen from the top few sides in the competition to the bottom half in a number of key defensive and ball movement statistics.
A bristly Scott said Geelong’s problems in the opening five rounds were mostly because of execution and not system when asked if Cameron’s inclusion alongside Tom Hawkins would allow for more dare in their ball movement.
“Clearly we’re a bit off in some areas of our game and we’d like to get that execution better,” Scott said.
“It’s a little bit of system but it’s a lot of execution right at the moment.
“If we get Jeremy in the team, are we all of a sudden going to change the way we attack so we can kick the ball to him? I don’t think so, but we’d like to play more the way we’re intending to, which, if you’ve looked at us over a period of time, you should be reasonably clear on what that looks like.”
Alarmingly, Champion Data stats reveal that Geelong has gone from first last year to 18th in its defensive 50 to score percentage, coming under fire for their labour-intensive game plan ahead of a crunch three weeks against West Coast, Sydney and Richmond.
It also ranks 12th for kick-in to score (third last year) and defensive 50 to inside 50 percentages (fourth last year).
The Cats were the highest scoring team across the competition last year but have crashed to 12th in the ‘points for’ statistic.
Scott was defensive when quizzed on their ball movement in his weekly press conference on Thursday.
“Anyone that’s spent enough time watching us play over the last few years should have an understanding of how we move the ball when we’re at our best,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone would describe it as super-fast football and the clear measure there is mark-play on percentage. We’ve consistently been down the bottom of that.
“Does that mean playing slow is our preference? Of course it doesn’t. All the parts of our game style need to work together.
“If we couldn’t score over a period of time playing the way that we were playing, we would change it but we’ve been top four in attack for, whatever it is, three, four, five years.
“There should be a little bit more depth in that analysis.
“If we’ve changed (and) now all of a sudden we’re playing that way and it’s not working, that’s reasonable criticism.
“Again, you get some ex-key forwards who just want the ball bashed into one-on-ones like it’s 2003. The game’s changed a little bit.
“But the other part is don’t make the assumption the way we’re playing is the way we’re choosing to play.”
Scott said the Cats were waiting on the green light from their medical department before confirming if Cameron would meet the Eagles.
“Again, I don’t want my desire for him to play to overshadow what the right decision is,” he said.
“Our plan was always to get him in a position where, when he was right to play, he could come in and play AFL footy.”
Geelong’s ball movement slide
2020 rank and 2021 rank
Kick-In to Score percentage: 3rd to 12th
D50 to Inside 50 percentage: 4th to 12th
D50 to Score percentage: 1st to 18th
Geelong’s defensive numbers
2020 rank and 2021 rank
Opposition D50 to Inside 50 percentage: 5th to 12th
Opposition D50 to Score percentage: 1st to 15th
Opposition Score per Inside 50 percentage: 2nd to 9th
Points against: 3rd to 4th (had ranked 9th before the North Melbourne match)
Opposition Points from Stoppages: 5th to 13th
Courtesy: Champion Data
ESAVA SET TO RETURN ‘WITHIN A MONTH’
– Toby Prime
ESAVA Ratugolea remains a few weeks away from an AFL return as he continues his comeback from a fractured leg.
Ratugolea, who looms as a key addition as a second ruck and tall forward, starred in the VFL on Sunday against North Melbourne and is building his fitness base for the second half of the season.
He had been sidelined since late February after a kick to the leg where he had previously had a fracture in his fibula.
Ratugolea played in a series of practice matches ahead of Round 1 and was one of Geelong’s best players in the VFL season-opener.
He is set to line up against an AFL Academy side on Saturday at GMHBA Stadium.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said the Cats would continue to take a cautious approach with the 22-year-old.
“The match practice is really important for Esava,” Scott said
“I’m always tempted to play Esava. I can see the possibility in what he could deliver at AFL level.
“Our position has been to give him the best chance to come in and play well at AFL level and that requires a certain amount of preparation that we just don’t think he’s had yet.
“For too long, he’s played at less than his absolute best due to a lack of preparation.
“I don’t want to be held to it because circumstances might change in the next couple of weeks but I’d just love to see him come in and deliver what he’s capable of over a sustained period of time.”
Scott said the leg fracture was “absolutely a thing of the past” and that he hoped he would be ready for an AFL return “within a month”.
“That’s why the match practice is really valuable because through this period of the year, it’s difficult to get that type of conditioning work in your training because we just don’t have the time or the numbers to do that sort of work,” he said.
“Obviously when you have a lower leg fracture, there’s not much running being done in that time off.”
It comes as Geelong prepares to be without superstar Patrick Dangerfield for an “indefinite” period of time following ankle surgery to the syndesmosis joint.
Scott said the prolonged lay off would help Dangerfield in his recovery from an off-season groin complaint.
“He’d be a bit flat but I think, the same as the rest of the club, (he’s) looking forward to seeing how we can go with a few other faces in the team and see if we can get ourselves in a good enough position so when he comes back, he can contribute to a good system,” he said.
“I’m more comfortable saying it now — he, after the year he had last year being really interrupted with his groin issue, the extra time to get his ankle right is not going to hurt his groin.”
‘JK’ IN DOUBT FOR TRIP TO GEELONG
— Alex Oates
West Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy remains in doubt for Saturday’s crunch clash against Geelong.
Kennedy, who sustained an ankle injury in Friday night’s win over Collingwood, has revealed he must proved his fitness at training on Wednesday if he is to join his teammates on the flight to Victoria.
“I’ve got to get through training tomorrow, I didn’t do much yesterday. I’ll do a little bit today,” Kennedy told Perth radio station 6PR.
“Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to get through training. We’ll just see how it all goes and whether I can get through training.
“I was able to play the rest of the game, so it (the ankle) pulled up pretty good. So hopefully I can head over to Geelong.”
Kennedy copped an ankle tap from Collingwood’s Irish defender Mark Keane, who copped a one-match suspension for the action.
“It hurt a little bit,” Kennedy said.
“I come off and it was all right. It was almost just like a little ankle role.”
The Eagles will aim to break a 15-year hoodoo in Geelong, having not won at GMHBA Stadium since 2006.
Kennedy also has a poor return at Kardinia Park, returning a 0-4 record.
The squad that travels to Geelong will also be searching for their first victory at the ground.
“If I haven’t won there no one else has because I’m the oldest on the list,” Kennedy, 33, said.
“It’s been a massive challenge for a lot of teams to get down there and obviously win games. We’re really looking forward to that.
“A big thing for us this year is we haven’t really been consistent in four-quarter efforts and that’s something that we’ll continue focusing on this week, next week and the rest of the year.
“Hopefully we can put a four-quarter effort together and hopefully that’ll get us the result we want down in Geelong.”
PARFITT NOT CONTENT WITH CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE
EMERGING Geelong midfield star Brandan Parfitt has put the acid on himself to take the next step after a career-best performance against North Melbourne.
Parfitt amassed 34 touches in the win over the Roos on Sunday — his best output since Round 4, 2018 against St Kilda when he collected 28 disposals — but he is determined to continue that form against West Coast on Saturday.
“I was pretty happy with the way I went about things,” Parfitt said.
“I was pretty consistent throughout four quarters, but the next step is to back it up now. Throughout my career I’ve had a couple of good games and it’s a matter of backing it up and doing it consistently.”
Parfitt was the most prolific player on the ground for the Cats on Sunday night, taking the lead from usual suspects Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan.
“Brandan was excellent on the weekend, he did a lot of heavy lifting,” skipper Selwood said.
“But we have that now, we need different guys stepping up and he was outstanding along with a few others.”
Dangerfield and Selwood in particular have carried the team in recent years, a weight that has inspired Parfitt to ease the burden on the Cats ageing stars.
“It definitely helps (if others take more responsibility),” Parfitt said.
“They’ve been the benchmark for the last 10 years really and we’ve been big on the club and the next generation improving and performing, so hopefully I can do it.”
Eager to produced another eye-catching performance, Parfitt concedes his side faces a stern test against the Eagles at GMHBA Stadium.
“It is (a big game),” Parfitt said.
“They’re a great side, great midfield and my old mate Tim Kelly will be running around, so hopefully we can stop him and the rest of them,” he said.
“I think we have to limit the amount of damage he can do, but they’ve got some other quality midfielders as well, so I’m not sure if we’ll go with a tagging role or anything like that, but we’ll definitely have to do something.”
CAMERON TO GIVE CATS ‘NEW LOOK’ SAYS SKIPPER
GEELONG skipper Joel Selwood has backed Jeremy Cameron to have an immediate impact as the Cats prepare to unveil their prized recruit in Saturday’s clash against West Coast.
Cameron has been declared a certain starter for the blockbuster at GMHBA Stadium, and while the Cats are eager to temper expectations on the Coleman medallist, Selwood is confident the former GWS Giants star will have an influence.
“He will expect to come in and do well,” Selwood said.
“What I’ve learnt of Jez in the short time that I’ve know him is he’s a real carer. He might look laconic, but he’s going to be an excellent teammate and I look forward to seeing what he can put out there.
“It won’t be perfect every time, but he’s going to be very exciting for Cats fans.”
After successive hamstring setbacks, Cameron will make his long-awaiting debut for the Cats, teaming with fellow Coleman medallist Tom Hawkins in attack.
And Selwood admitted his team was spoilt for choice.
“It’s been 14 years of kicking to Tom, so to have another option up there is exciting,” Selwood said.
“It will also help our other guys at ground level get involved too. We’ve probably been a bit isolated down there kicking to the one person, so this gives us a different look.”
Improving their record to 3-2 with the 30-point win over North Melbourne on Saturday night, the Cats remain under the microscope after a string of less-than convincing performances.
Coach Chris Scott admitted his side is not “in sync” and the captain agrees.
“We’re not playing exactly how we’d like to be playing, but sides are just getting better, too, so we just have to keep adapting,” Selwood said.
“It looks like we’ll get Jeremy back this week. He still has to get through a couple of sessions, so I’m always a bit nervous about that, but apart from that we’re going pretty well.”
Selwood acknowledged that much of the criticism was largely borne from lofty expectations set both externally and within the walls of the club.
“We appreciate the high standard and we expect to be contending each year as we continue to say,” he said.
“But we understand that sides will continue to get better and you have to show up each week and play really good footy.”
West Coast, who returned to form with a 27-point win over Collingwood, looms as a litmus test for the Cats.
“We haven’t had a look at them this week, but I do usually keep a close on teams that I think will be up there and they are one of them,” Selwood said.
“They’ve lost a couple of key players in there team but they seem to find the next one in line and we’re expecting West Coast to bring their best.”
Selwood confirmed he will play after copping a “stinger” to the shoulder against the Roos, while he has also backed champion Patrick Dangerfield to overcome a leg issue.
“We weren’t in (at the club) yesterday (Monday) so I’m not sure where it’s at,” Selwood said of Dangerfield.
“He’ll give himself the best chance to get up (for that game), that’s all I know.”
Originally published as Geelong Cats v West Coast: All the news ahead of Round 6 AFL
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