Geelong confident of ending Richmond’s MCG winning streak
CHRIS Scott was careful not to make any big statements but the victorious Geelong coach says the Cats “give ourselves a chance” of ending Richmond’s 15-match winning streak at the MCG.
Geelong
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GEELONG coach Chris Scott says his team will relish the underdog status when it faces reigning premier Richmond in a blockbuster mid-season clash next Sunday.
When asked about the biggest challenge in football, Scott was quick to highlight the theory that the Tigers were unbeatable at the MCG given they’d won 15 straight at the venue.
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“I read that it is impossible to beat Richmond at the MCG so we’re going to have our work cut out,” Scott said after his team put North Melbourne to the sword by 37 points.
“I’m not sure (about that). We will see … I think we will be going in giving ourselves a chance.
“They (Richmond) have been formidable there and people aren’t just making that up, the numbers reflect that as well.
“It’s a great challenge and we’re really looking forward to it. I’m not going to make any big statements but we feel like we’re progressing and some areas of our game that needed to improve have improved.
“It’s a long way from where we think we can be and playing against an outfit that have been pretty consistent with how they’ve played and pretty consistent with their personnel, that’s a challenge and as I said we give ourselves a chance.”
The Cats impressive win over the Kangaroos moves them within one game of Richmond on the ladder after they suffered their third loss of the season against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins, who was one of the stars for the home team with three goals, described the date with Richmond as a “huge challenge”.
“I watched them a little bit last night and they looked like they missed Dusty (Martin) a little bit,” Hawkins said.
“But Port Adelaide played some pretty handy footy so I’m looking forward to the contest.
“They (Richmond) are probably the most in-form team in the comp throughout the year so it’s a huge challenge for us as a group.”
The Cats will lose defender Aaron Black, who hyperextended his knee in the third quarter, and while he’s believed to have escaped serious damage the former Roo is facing several weeks on the sidelines.
Forward Lincoln McCarthy, who was a late withdrawal because of hamstring tightness, should return against the Tigers.
The performance of Gary Ablett in his 200th game for Geelong was the highlight of the victory with the two-time Brownlow medallist collecting a game-high 34 possessions, which included seven clearances, eight tackles and a goal.
Scott said the 34-year-old still had improvement left in him after hamstring injuries impacted the start of the season.
“Hopefully he can improve,” he said.
“I think he has got improvement in him now, that is from where he is at the moment.
“I’m not suggesting he can play his best footy because there might not be many who’ve played better footy than him in his prime.
“But I think it is just a logical progression given where he has been with his body and his preparation and adjusting to life with new teammates.
“We’ve been trying for long time to build a midfield that has got a lot of depth and it feels like we’re creeping up on that.”
Stewart Crameri, who was dropped to the VFL this week, suffered an eye injury early in the curtain-raiser and went to hospital as a precaution.
Regular senior players Cam Guthrie, Scott Selwood and Lachie Henderson all made their return in the VFL and got through unscathed.
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