Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions: Cats looking to bounce back from shock Round 1 loss
Geelong has been urged to look at other options in attack outside of Tom Hawkins on Friday night as it aims to return to the winners’ list against Brisbane.
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GEELONG has been urged to look at other options in attack outside of Tom Hawkins on Friday night as it aims to return to the winners’ list against Brisbane.
Hawkins found himself double and sometimes triple-teamed against Adelaide in Round 1 and battled to impact the contest in the manner he and the Cats would have liked.
Teammate Mark Blicavs said it was understandable why Geelong looked to Hawkins as often as it did, but added there were plenty of alternatives for the Cats to consider when their star forward was being manned inside-50.
“Hawk is such a presence that when you do move inside-50 your eyes gravitate to him,” Blicavs said.
“That is why there are two or three defenders on him at times because he is such a presence and can be so dangerous.
“But I think we have some other great options too that we need to use more. Chucky (Gary Rohan) is one who can really be damaging…Jez (Cameron) obviously has a bit of soreness but he is one, and we have Gryan as well.
“So there are targets and small forwards who we think are really dangerous, we just need to deliver it a bit better to them.”
Blicavs is expecting to line up on gun Brisbane recruit Joe Daniher at various stages of Friday night’s blockbuster, and even said there was a possibility he could be opposed to him in the ruck at times.
“I think so,” Blicavs said when asked if he would line up on Daniher.
“Joe went up and did a little bit of rucking as well so there might be a role for me to take Joe out of the games at times.
“I was talking about our forward line but their forward line is really damaging, even before Joe, with Hipwood and Charlie Cameron and the likes.
“So as a defensive group and a team we will need to be really switched on defensively and help each other out.”
Cats bracing for fired up Lions
GEELONG is expecting a vengeful Brisbane Lions side to “come out breathing fire” on Friday night.
Both sides will enter the blockbuster desperate to avoid going 0-2 and after Adelaide’s pressure knocked Geelong on its backside in Round 1, Brisbane could see a blueprint to defeat last year’s runner-up.
The game will carry extra meaning for the Lions after the Cats ended their season last year with a comfortable 40-point win in the preliminary final.
Geelong defender Tom Stewart said the Cats “probably weren’t up for the fight” in Round 1 and expected his team to respond on Friday night.
“Brisbane are going to come out breathing some fire as well, so it’s going to be hot early,” Stewart said.
“(Brisbane has) come out and said that they are going to come out with a physical approach.
We’re just going to have to absorb that and throw it back on them and ask some questions of them.
“I’m really looking forward to that, they’ve got some amazing players, it’s going to be a massive challenge and I’m really up for it.”
Brisbane defensive ace Harris Andrews called on his side to “play with a bit more energy” after a surprise 31-point loss to Sydney last weekend.
The energy from the crowd will be with the Cats though, with the match the first official Geelong male game in front of a crowd since August 2019.
After the state government lifted the crowd cap to 75 per cent of capacity, more than 27,000 will be granted access to the game.
“I think there’s that sense of anticipation from the community to come to the footy again and I can’t wait to put on a show for them and have a lot of fun,” dual All-Australian Stewart said.
“Obviously having some of our friends and family who haven’t been able to see us play footy for over 12 months, to have them here and the community behind us is something we’re really going to get up for and really thrive for.
“We come here to win. We don’t like losing down here. We like to think it’s a bit of a fortress and we want to play the right way and get the job done.”
NO REPLACING PATRICK DANGERFIELD AGINST BRISBANE, TOM STEWART SAYS
By Josh Barnes, Natalee Kerr
THERE is no replacing the void left by Patrick Dangerfield’s suspension according to defender Tom Stewart as the Cats wade into virtually uncharted waters.
Since the Brownlow medallist joined the Cats before the 2016 season, the durable superstar has played 116 of 119 matches but will miss the next three games due to suspension for his bump on Adelaide defender Jake Kelly.
With star recruit Jeremy Cameron still out with a hamstring complaint and midfielder Sam Menegola racing the clock to overcome a shoulder injury, Geelong will have to tackle 2020 preliminary finalist Brisbane Lions at home on Friday.
Stewart said there would be no way to cover for the output of Dangerfield but the Cats had to move on quickly.
“You can’t (fill his void) unfortunately,” Stewart said.
“There’s not many Pat Dangerfields getting around in the league. He’s obviously a super special player.
“What happened, happened, we can’t change that. We can only control the 22-23 that go out and play out there on the weekend. We have got some young kids that might get called upon but we’ve just got to first and foremost look at our own performances as an individual and then as a collective come out and be better.
“One player – albeit being Danger – isn’t going to change our focus and that sort of thing. We need to come out and play our way and deliver.”
On Wednesday morning, Dangerfield described the media swirl around his incident as like being “on trial for murder” and “definitely confronting.”
Dangerfield said he had spoken with his former housemate Kelly following the clash that left him concussed and with a broken nose.
“It’s hard to shut off from it, you feel like you’re on trial for murder,” he told SEN.
“It’s an eye opener for someone who hasn’t been through it before.”
When asked if he would act differently in the same position next time, Dangerfield said he wouldn’t bump.
“I’ve heard plenty of opinion around what I should have done … in the split second of a game where you’ve got to make calculated decisions, it was less around a calculated decision and more around impact’s coming, I’m bracing for that,” he said.
CAMERON MOONEY COLUMN: NO EXCUSES FOR CATS AFTER ROUND 1 FAILURE
GREAT teams don’t make excuses.
They just find a way to win.
Richmond is a great team.
One of the best we’ve seen in the AFL.
The Tigers had a short pre-season filled with potential distractions, but on Thursday when the ball was bounced the Tigers pounced.
Geelong wants to be a great team.
At times last year it looked like the Cats were heading that way.
In a season full of distractions and excuses, Geelong remained focused.
But the Cats made the slowest possible start to 2021 on Saturday when they slumped 38 points behind last year’s wooden spooners, Adelaide.
Losing in round 1 is no big deal, but I will be watching very closely on Friday night to see how Geelong responds against Brisbane.
To me, they didn’t look mentally ready for the Adelaide game, and got their arses kicked early.
I’d be very surprised if that happens again this week.
Friday night will be the first game the Cats have played in front of their home crowd in 580 days. They must be ready for it.
Let me tell you, nothing compares to running through the race at Kardinia Park with the blue and white hoops on, and hearing the roar of the Geelong crowd.
It’s the greatest feeling in the world, even better than running out on the MCG, because when you play for the Cats at home you know 95 per cent of the crowd is behind you.
Given how long they’ve been starved of footy, the Geelong crowd will be especially vocal on Friday night, and the news that the crowd can now be increased to almost 28,000 will only add to the excitement.
Winning at home is almost non-negotiable for Geelong. The Kardinia Park fortress has been the foundation of its success under both Chris Scott and Mark Thompson.
Each year the club has been able to pencil seven or eight of its nine games at that venue is as wins before the start of the season, and that has helped it push towards the top four.
This week’s game puts the Cats up against another team eyeing greatness and a top four berth this year.
There’s a lot of hype around Brisbane. But — like Geelong — the Lions were overpowered by one of last year’s cellar dwellers in round 1.
They started well against Sydney kicking three goals in the first five minutes, before conceding 15 in the second and third quarters.
Lions coach Chris Fagan would’ve torn shreds off his team after the game, and will have them fired up on Friday night.
Aside from the Sydney performance, he’ll also remind them of their last game of 2020, when they were drubbed by Geelong in front of their home town fans missed the chance to play in the historic Gabba grand final.
So, although a 0:2 win:loss record to start the season would not be the end of the world for either of these teams, I do expect it to be a firey encounter and I do think we’ll see them both put in much better performances.
Premierships can’t be won in March, but the footy at this time of year can tell you a lot about a team’s mindset for the season.
Richmond might not have won every game in recent years, but they’ve always started their season strongly.
From what we saw in round 1, Geelong and Brisbane both have a lot of work to do if they strive to be anywhere near as good as the Tigers.
Scott has say on Dangerfield bump
Geelong coach Chris Scott says his preference is for his players to tackle instead of bump when the former option is there, as star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield prepares to face the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.
Speaking to media at GMHBA Stadium, Scott said the Cats were aware of their responsibility to mitigate issues around concussion and had been coached accordingly, but conceded incidents would still occur when players had limited options at their disposal.
“The part that I would like to outline really clearly is the understanding we have as coaches and as a footy club and as a playing group the responsibility we have to mitigate issues around concussion,” Scott said.
“Sometimes, as we saw with Patty, you can be left in a position where you don’t have too many options but you still have the responsibility to do everything you can to mitigate the issue.
“So if we look at what he could have done, we would like to coach our players certainly to tackle as opposed to bump where possible. The risk there when a player has the ball and disposes of it before you make contact is you might give away a free kick, you possibly could give away a 50 (metre penalty) as well but that is a much better situation for our game and us as a footy club than having players concussed in the way Jake Kelly was.
“I don’t think anyone wants to see that in the game and … while we have a dog in the fight and would clearly like to see our player not penalised, I think the bigger issues is we have a responsibility to try to fix these things if we can, even if they are really difficult like we saw on the weekend.”
Scott said Dangerfield felt for Kelly, a former housemate of the Brownlow medallist, and admitted the potential absence of his champion on-baller in coming weeks would present a challenge for Geelong.
“He knows Jake well, he lived with him and he feels for him, so there is that human element first,” Scott said.
“I think sometimes we go straight to the football side of things and what it means for Pat as an individual and as a club. The likelihood is we will have our challenges over the next couple of weeks but competitors enjoy those challenges.
“We wouldn’t deliberately do it but there is an opportunity for us to step up and meet those challenges head on.”
— Lachie Young
DANGERFIELD PLEADS CASE AHEAD OF TRIBUNAL HEARING
GEELONG star Patrick Dangerfield says he felt he had no alternative but to bump Adelaide’s Jake Kelly on Saturday, as he prepares to face the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.
Kelly suffered a broken nose and was concussed in the incident, which resulted in Dangerfield receiving the most serious impact grading of ‘severe’ from the AFL’s Match Review Officer, Michael Christian.
When asked by reporters on Monday if he had ‘a realistic alternative’ to making contact in the manner he did, Dangerfield said “I didn’t think so at the time.”
“I think it’s easy to review something at 30 frames per second,” Dangerfield said.
“As much as you have due diligence to look after the health and safety of those around you, you have to look after yourself as well.”
Christian recommended Dangerfield receive a minimum of three weeks, but the tribunal will have the scope to use its own discretion based on arguments from both Geelong and the AFL.
“It is still a collision game,” Dangerfield said.
“I certainly appreciate and understand that looking after concussion and the head is extremely important.
“But as I said, you also have due diligence to protect yourself when you are in an environment and a game where you can collide with others … it is a split moment decision to protect yourself with incoming opponents. That happens every week.”
At the conclusion of the 2018 season the AFL updated its protocols regarding accidental head clashes, with any player electing to bump subsequently deemed to be liable for injury to an opponent.
Cats aim for quick turnaround after shock loss
GEELONG will have little time to lick its wounds as it prepares to take on fellow top four team from last season, Brisbane, this Friday night, in what suddenly looms as a crucial game for both clubs.
The circumstances of their meeting had been tipped to be very different prior to Round 1, but shock losses for the Cats and the Lions – to Adelaide and Sydney respectively – has swiftly changed the way the contest will be viewed.
For Geelong, the potential absence of star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield throws another element of the unknown into how it tackles Brisbane, who was left reeling by the 31-point defeat at home.
The Lions have added firepower up front from last season in the form of key tall Joe Daniher and boast an exciting mix inside-50, with Charlie Cameron and Eric Hipwood both players to the Cats will need to keep under control.
Small defender Tom Atkins says he is expecting a tough contest at GMHBA Stadium but is confident Geelong can hold its own down back.
“We have got one of the better defences in the competition over the last couple of years so I think anyone we come up against we should be pretty confident that we can hold our own,” Atkins said.
“I watched a bit of their (the Lions) game and they will be like us and looking to bounce back so we will be expecting another tough game.
“It will be good to be back playing in front of a home crowd but Brisbane has been great over the last few years so it is going to be a tough one.”
Atkins was a solid contributor for Geelong against Adelaide, finishing the afternoon with 19 disposals, four tackles, four intercepts and a team-high seven score involvements.
The 25-year-old said the Cats fought back well after being down by 38 points at half time, but admitted they were off their game early.
“They obviously started really well and had high pressure from the beginning,” he said.
“They were good around the ball and put us under the pump from the start so having to scramble and being on the back foot for the better part of the first half – and that was the hottest part of the day as well – I think it left too big a task to come back from.
“That being said, we definitely had our opportunities to win, so I thought we fought back really well. But you can’t be giving teams that sort of start, it just makes it too hard.
“We weren’t shocked by their pressure, we definitely expected it to be a hard start to the game, but putting all the things you have talked about during the week into practice is another thing and in that sense we were definitely off.”
Originally published as Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions: Cats looking to bounce back from shock Round 1 loss
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