All the latest Geelong Cats wash-up from the clash with North Melbourne
Geelong was so much deeper than North Melbourne on Saturday night, the Cats probably had the best 20 players on the ground. It showed how deep the Roos’ struggle has become.
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When the winning coach begins his press conference by saying “the challenge for us was to make sure we try and stay in the moment” and not worry about next round, you know you’ve just watched a genuine belting.
That’s the kind of feeling that spread around GMHBA Stadium in the third quarter as Geelong piled on the goals and pulled away towards and old-fashioned thumping and dispatched with North Melbourne by 112 points.
It had been some time since the Cats really buried an opponent by triple digits, the last occasion coming in round 23, 2018 against Gold Coast.
Those pre-Covid days feel like a lifetime ago.
And this 2022 season must feel like a lifetime for Kangaroos fans.
The gap was so stark on Saturday night that as the game wore on it became harder and harder to imagine if any North Melbourne players would get a game in Geelong’s current side.
Luke Davies-Uniacke is the best Roos midfielder and he would play some games, but his bull-like game could leave him short when Geelong has its best side on the park.
Ditto for Jy Simpkin.
Todd Goldstein once knocked back an overture to join Geelong and the ageing ruck was outpointed by Rhys Stanley in the steamrollering win, with Stanley on the whole the better player this season.
Failed swingman Ben McKay might be considered as a defender and Aaron Hall’s run off half back could help Geelong, but both have large deficiencies in their game.
There’s some future talent developing at Ardern St but on Saturday night it boiled down to a complete mismatch and as Cats coach Chris Scott said, it really was tough not to just wonder about Thursday’s heavyweight clash with Melbourne.
After quarter-time, Geelong had 45 more inside-50s and ended up ahead in that ledger 74-25.
The Cats led marks inside-50 25 to 5 as Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins went to work.
“I thought it was quite willing early, I don’t think anyone could accuse (North) of not having a go early,” Scott said.
“We completely understand the challenges that they have in front of them. The challenge for us was to make sure we try and stay in the moment as much as possible and not forecast five days in advance and stay on task and I thought we did that pretty well.”
It’s a dark picture for North Melbourne but also speaks to Geelong’s strength, that the worst player in the hoops would be among the best in the stripes.
Injuries could begin to mount again but Geelong has always said it has a deep list in 2022 and that is proving true.
Perhaps only Melbourne’s bottom-six players can match Geelong’s, with contributors across the lines building into form.
That depth is often discounted when the likes of Cameron, Hawkins and Patrick Dangerfield grab the headlines at the Cattery but it’s the workhorses that have done just as much to keep Geelong plugging along all these years.
The likes of Jed Bews, Gryan Miers, Gary Rohan, Zach Guthrie and Mark O’Connor are all growing as the season wears on.
The gap between the top and the bottom has hardly been greater in modern AFL history and it is certainly clear Geelong is among the top teams at the moment.
The Cats have a chance to prove just how close to the top they are on Thursday night.
NARKLE TARGETS PERMANANT SPOT
Cats midfielder Quinton Narkle is planning on locking down a spot in the side thanks to a powerful two-goal effort in Geelong’s 112-point demolition of North Melbourne.
After the Cats were challenged in the first quarter, they put the foot on the throat of the Roos at GMHBA Stadium, booting 13 goals to one in the second half.
Narkle had a say in that dominance, kicking two majors, including a long-range effort in the third term as Geelong began to put to foot down.
The slippery midfielder has taken the field just five times this year, once as an activated medical-sub, and has been the unused sub in two matches in what is proving to be a frustrating season.
Narkle was only brought into the Cats side as a late change on Saturday night, after youngster Sam De Koning was withdrawn with a corkie.
But he said he was hopeful of locking away a pot in Geelong midfield as the run to finals begins.
“I have been ready for a few weeks now, I had a few issues earlier on with my ankle but I have been ready for a while and I am going to try and take any chance I get,” he said.
“It can be frustrating but that is footy and that is the reality of it sometimes but you just have to stay ready and take the opportunity when you have and hopefully I have done that.
“(Being out of the side) can be frustrating but that is footy and that is the reality of it something but you just have to stay ready and take the opportunity when you have it and hopefully I have done that.”
Narkle was on track for possibly his strongest performance of the season to date in round 4 against Brisbane before suffering an ankle injury in a tackle in the third quarter.
He said it took some time to get the injury right but he was feeling strong now.
“It’s coming along pretty well, it just stiffened up a little bit when I was running on it but I feel like I am back to full health now an the body is starting to feel well now so hopefully I can finish off the season,” he said.
“It was pretty hard, especially with this injury. It is not a common injury to the ankle, there was a few things other than the rolled ankle so it took me some time to get it right but I do enjoy playing in the VFL sometimes and being with the other boys, you can build your confidence sometimes.”
SUPER-CONSISTENT DUNCAN REACHES GAME 250
From the very start, you knew exactly what you were going to get with Mitch Duncan.
A smart ball user who somehow always finds himself in space, the smooth-mover has been one of Geelong’s most reliable players through 249 games.
In his 13th season with Geelong, Duncan just keeps on keeping on, averaging 22.1 disposals per game in a new role at half-back, remarkably close to his career average of 22.3.
Still among Geelong’s best kicks, the West Australian can be deadly in space.
And according to Tony Micale, the legendary East Perth coach who coached Duncan in his brief WAFL stay in 2009 before he was drafted by the Cats, it has always been this way.
“It was obvious from day one there was something special about him, you couldn’t help but notice his ability to read the play and he had silky skills even then,” Micale recalled.
“He was one of those blokes where it’s not necessarily so much that he was an explosive player but he was eye catching because he just seemed to have a lot of time.”
According to former Cats teammate and now Geelong assistant coach James Kelly, Duncan still goes under the radar even after 13 seasons of metronomic-like consistency as a forward, winger, onballer or now as a defender.
In those early days at East Perth, Micale put Duncan forward to protect his skinny frame.
Inseparable with future West Coast premiership player Mark Hutchings, Duncan cut up the WAFL at half-forward.
“He was just super effective just because he had that composure and he had time,” Micale said.
“When you think about it, you never really see him get caught with the footy. He just has that evasiveness and it’s like he has a sixth sense of knowing what is going on before it happens. I think that is the special trait about him and that is what was noticeable about him from then.”
LEADING FROM THE START
AFTER being taken with the 28th pick in the 2009 AFL Draft to join the reigning premier Geelong, Duncan didn’t expect to play for “a good couple of years”.
But Kelly had a good feeling about him from the start.
Still only 18, Duncan marshalled the troops during a running session over on Kardinia Park West, in the shadows of GMHBA Stadium.
“That’s a confident spot to come from as an 18-year-old kid,” Kelly said.
“You get a good feeling about some young players when they come in the footy club in the first few weeks and Mitch was one of those guys. He might not have thought he would play 250 (games) but we had a good sense he was going to be a good player early on.”
Duncan sported bushy hair – what Kelly described as “a few blonde tips in the salad” – but he was the same hard-running midfielder with a laconic and deadly kick.
That beautiful kicking style instantly found a connection with the big chest of Tom Hawkins and Duncan has since directly assisted 70 of Hawkins’ 701 career goals.
Subbed on for James Podsiadly in the 2011 grand final, Duncan booted a crucial third quarter goal from long range to help the Cats towards a premiership and he has rarely been out of the Geelong side since.
His desire to get better sticks with Kelly, who has noticed Duncan still puts in the hours at the club watching edits on computers.
“The bank of the player’s computers is in direct line of my desk (at GMHBA Stadium) and Mitch is someone who is still there 250 games later trying tog et better and driving himself and sitting down with other players discussing footy,” Kelly said.
“It’s a pleasure to play with him and it was a pleasure to coach having senior players who still have that desire to win and to get better and that’s something at this footy club we should never take for granted, is people like Mitch.”
MAKING THEM PROUD
WHEN he hits the turf on Saturday night against North Melbourne, Duncan will be just the 19th Cat to play 250 VFL/AFL games.
Typically modest, he was more thankful to Geelong for shaping him off the field than on it.
“I had some good people around me who were stars of the competition (when I was drafted) and the club has guided me and helped me become the player I am today,” he said.
“I think them a lot to be able to turn me into the person I am, more than probably the player I have been.
“When you sit back and think about it, I hope I have made people proud.”
Duncan has certainly made Micale proud, who gushed about the “outstanding achievement” for the Cat to reach 250 games.
“It’s just been an absolutely sensational career and to top it off he is a great person,” Micale said.
ILL SCOTT STILL EXPECTED TO COACH AGAINST NORTH
Geelong still expects Chris Scott to coach against North Melbourne on Saturday night despite the head coach being kept away from the club on Friday due to illness.
Scott was in contact with his assistant coaches on Friday via Zoom but missed his scheduled press conference and the team’s captain’s run on Friday morning.
Geelong confirmed Scott’s absence was not due to Covid and he was only away from GMHBA Stadium as a precaution.
Several head coaches have missed games across the AFL this year due to Covid protocols, with most of those sides winning clashes as assistant coaches stepped up.
Cats assistant coach James Kelly stood in for Scott to talk to the media and he said the coaching panel had not spoken about who would replace Scott as head coach on game day if he were to miss a match.
“We sort of like to hope for the best, we should plan for the worst, but we just work to the assumption that we will manage things when the opportunity arises,” Kelly said.
“(Scott is) obviously a little under the weather but he is still available for us today (Friday), he just thought it was best he didn’t come in (to the club) today. It will be business as usual for the game.”
The Cats will be heavy favourites at GMHBA Stadium against the last-placed Roos, but Kelly said there was no chance his side would take North Melbourne lightly.
Geelong’s stranglehold over North Melbourne has carried on over the past nine games, with the Cats winning each by an average of 43 points.
“We don’t take much notice of how they have gone and their record,” Kelly said.
“We want to approach the game the same way we do every game. What we know about North is when they can move the ball they are dangerous. They have a potent forward line when they can get it down there and they are certainly up for the fight around the footy.
“If we rock up and take notice of their record and don’t play the game the way we want it to be played, we will get bitten.”
Veteran Cat Mitch Duncan said Geelong was “just focusing on what our best footy looks like” and wanted to carry on improving against the Roos.
“This is just another roadblock for us, we want to be working on our game ruthlessly and we can’t let North Melbourne play to their strengths because on any day any team can beat you,” he said.
North Melbourne made a change to its side on Friday, with Jackson Archer removed from the team released on Thursday due to injury.
Atu Bosenavulagi took his place in the selected 22.
ATKINS ADDITION GIVING CATS A “DIFFERENT DIMENSION”
Moving hard-nut Tom Atkins into the midfield has given Geelong a dangerous “different dimension”, according to North Melbourne midfield coach Jordan Russell.
The former forward and defender was thrown into the guts in round 10 against Port Adelaide and has shone since, averaging 19.6 disposals per game, 8.8 contested touches and 4.6 clearances per game, which would all be career highs if carried on for a whole season.
Last weekend Atkins stood tall when it mattered most, with a game-high eight clearances, including the matchwinning centre break in the final two minutes to bury Richmond.
His work has been noticed across the AFL, with Russell singling the St Joseph’s product out as a game-changer for the Cats, particularly given Patrick Dangerfield’s absence in the past four matches.
“I think the fact that they have brought Atkins in, he pairs off with Selwood in regards to that contest, ball-winning ability,” Russell said.
“When you look through the starts, their pre-clearance, contested ball stuff has gone through the roof.
“He has probably stiffened them up in there. He is playing some really good footy.”
Russell said Atkins’ willingness to hunt the ball at ground level and feed it out to teammates has made a noted difference to the Cats.
“He is physical and he enjoys the combative side of the game, which is what you need as a midfielder,” Russell said.
“What I have seen is his ability then to react to the loose ball. He will be physical and then he will go in for the hard ball but he reads the game really well when it spills out. What he has been able to do is he has added a different dimension in there in regards to his contested ball winning and he can feed (Cam) Guthrie and those guys on the outside.”
Having set a VFL/AFL record by losing their past 10 games by at least 40 points, North Melbourne will be heavy underdogs against Geelong on Saturday.
But Russell said his side would be up for the challenge and had a plan to hold the outside at stoppages to ensure the Cats don’t get the ball into space easily.
“I think at times if you are a midfield group that wants to hunt the ball a little bit and go after it, you can get exposed a bit on the outside,” Russell said.
“We have got pretty clear roles within our midfield group that if you are on that outside role you have to give us balance.”
Russell said the Roos were set to persist with playing defender Ben McKay forward against the Cats, leaving Josh Walker and Aidan Corr to handle Geelong superstars Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron.
ANALYSIS: ALL HANDS ON DECK TO COVER TOM STEWART
No single Cat can cover for Tom Stewart over the next month but Geelong does have the cattle to at least plug most of the gaps left by their most important player.
As Stewart gets stuck into a new fitness program to begin his four-week suspension, Geelong’s coaches will be scrambling to move the magnets around in the back-half.
The good news for the Cats is they don’t particularly need to introduce any new magnets – they played with seven defenders last week and will be able to move Jack Henry to defence this week against North Melbourne.
The two areas the Cats will need to work on to cover Stewart come in the air and on the deck.
Aerially, Zach Guthrie showed he can slide into more of an intercept marking role back in round 12 when he played a crucial role as Stewart went down early with concussion.
With Henry shifting back, the Cats should have enough height to stop opposition attacks in the air and send the ball back the other way.
The ground game is trickier.
Intercept possessions claimed by Stewart have resulted in more scores than any other player in the AFL this year.
On average, Stewart intercepts have created 8.69 points per game this year, meaning his rebounding is the best in the game.
If Geelong is to essentially start clashes against Melbourne, Carlton and Port Adelaide (in Adelaide) down nine points, it’s going to be hard to win those games.
But again, Geelong has the rebound cattle to cover some of those 8.69 points per game.
The team’s best kicker in Mitch Duncan has been strong off half-back this year and Zach Tuohy continues to soldier on back there.
Perhaps Isaac Smith can spend a little bit more time off the backline to provide more run and carry in the next month and Jed Bews can tuck the ball under his arm a little bit more.
As Geelong part-time assistant coach Josh Jenkins told SEN, all defenders will have to step up to fill the breach.
“It will have to be a strength in numbers sort of thing because Chris Scott has been on record in saying Tom Stewart is the best defender in the game,” Jenkins said.
“You’ve got to try and replace one of the premier intercepting defenders and one of the best rebounding defenders in the game.
“The reality is there will be a loss and a hole and at different stages they will feel that void.”
The Cats are sitting pretty at the moment in second on the ladder but a slip in the next month could cost them a top-four berth.
It’s going to be all hands on deck in defence.
TOM STEWART COPS FOUR WEEK BAN
Geelong star Tom Stewart will miss the next four weeks of AFL action after the tribunal handed down his punishment.
The star defender was referred directly to the tribunal for a late bump that left Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia concussed.
The tribunal graded Stewart’s action as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
He will miss games against North Melbourne, Melbourne, Carlton and Port Adelaide.
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson said Prestia was “vulnerable”.
“The bump was late,” he said.
“He (Prestia) was wide open, exposed and vulnerable.
“Stewart had sufficient time to see Prestia had not taken possession.
“He ran past the ball and made a conscious, albeit split-second decision to bump Prestia at speed.
“The degree of carelessness was high, he breached his duty of care by some margin.”
‘Rocked’ Stewart can still be captain: Selwood
Geelong skipper Joel Selwood has declared he thinks embattled star Tom Stewart will captain the Cats in the future as the playing group rallies around the defender before his impending tribunal hearing.
Stewart will face the tribunal on Tuesday evening after his bump knocked Dion Prestia out in the first quarter of Saturday’s win over Richmond.
The dashing defender stayed indoors on Tuesday morning while the Cats held an open session as he begins a new training program, with the prospect of a month suspension hanging over him.
Stewart was visibly distressed following the Prestia hit and despite being outstanding in the thrilling victory, he has been upset in the days following the hit.
He is a club vice-captain alongside Patrick Dangerfield and could be next in line for the top-job when Selwood retires from his record-breaking captaincy reign.
Selwood said the bump should not define Stewart’s character.
“The game is really quick, you can make slight mistakes and it is not a judge on his character by any means,” Selwood said.
“He is a quality person and we will always have his back.
“He is a three-time All-Australian, probably on his way to a fourth this year, he is a club champion here and there are plenty more awards that are going to come along the way.
“He is definitely a quality person who has been in our leadership group since nearly the time he got here and he will one day I reckon captain the club.”
Selwood said it was a “bit of a surprise” Stewart held himself together to be a matchwinning influence against the Tigers as he took a telling intercept mark in the final minute of the game.
“He is still pretty rocked by the incident,” Selwood said.
“He is a really quality person. I think you could see it clearly out there he was having trouble throughout the game, albeit he was playing very well. Dion’s health was at the forefront of his mind.”
Originally published as All the latest Geelong Cats wash-up from the clash with North Melbourne
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