Sydney v Geelong: Patrick Dangerfield’s heroics help Cats avoid double chance disaster against Swans
It’s a tactic that has worked on and off since Patrick Dangerfield joined Geelong, and Chris Scott said the Cats superstar could be used forward in the finals as the club looks to win its first flag since 2011.
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After avoiding potential disaster against Sydney on Sunday, Geelong coach Chris Scott says his side is going to “steel ourselves” and make a run for the flag.
The Cats narrowly secured a top-four berth with a scrappy six-point win over the Swans at Metricon Stadium, leaving them with a qualifying final against either Brisbane or Port Adelaide.
Finishing in the top four is nothing new for the Cats under Scott and while he said it was an achievement to end the home and away season so high on the ladder, the work is far from over.
“Our mindset is, at least mine, I think our players should be congratulated for the work they have done to get us to this point,” he said.
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“I think over a long period of time it’s quite a remarkable effort really when you look at the numbers in an equalised competition.
“To give ourselves a chance, it’s a pat on the back for that but it’s a punch in the guts as well. We have to steel ourselves and do everything we can to play our best footy.
“There are no guarantees, but we won’t die wondering, that’s for sure.”
The Cats will enter the finals having won seven of their last eight matches.
Yet, a 26-point defeat to Richmond and Sunday’s close encounter with 16th-placed Sydney leaves question marks about Geelong’s form.
Despite the wobbly performances, Scott said the character of his group shone through as Geelong forced its way back into the contest to outlast Sydney.
“For a long time we have had a group of players that don’t turn up their toes when things aren’t going well,” he said.
“All the good sides in the modern era have had that trait, it doesn’t guarantee success but it gives you a chance if things don’t go your way early and you know that there is a strength of character and will to keep your system. I think we have that.”
A blistering three-goal haul from Patrick Dangerfield helped the Cats regain the momentum, with the call to move him forward a key to the result.
“It’s a conversation we have regularly, in game and in the preparation where he is best suited and we are coming to the conclusion – we have for a long time – that we shouldn’t be too pre-planned with it,” Scott said of his star.
“We just have to back our system and our ability to make the changes based on what we are seeing.
“It looks good if it works with him forward; and if it doesn’t work, it’s impossible to prove that if he was in the midfield it would be different.”
DANGER DRAGS CATS OVER THE LINE
A final-quarter masterclass from Patrick Dangerfield and the fingers of Mark Blicavs were enough to save the day for Geelong and secure it a top-four spot.
Blicavs got both hands to a flying shot from Sydney’s James Rowbottom in the final seconds of the match, with the smother enough to give the Cats a six-point win.
The win was earned in a remarkable burst from Dangerfield, who prowled out of the goal square to have four shots at goal in 10 minutes either side of three quarter-time to wake Geelong from its slumber of the previous 80 minutes.
Dangerfield finished with 3.2 all in that well-timed series as he broke open what was an error-riddled game between the Cats and Swans.
It was enough for Geelong to secure the double chance but the bye-week will be a long one for the Cats, who looked lethargic and slow for most of the afternoon at Metricon Stadium.
FAST START CATCHES CATS NAPPING
The Cats were given a rude shock to start the game, with the Swans slamming on three quick goals in the opening minutes.
At one point Sydney led disposals 32-16 and inside-50s 6-3.
When Josh Kennedy put through the fourth goal for the Swans, the lead had ballooned to 19 points only halfway through the first term.
Sydney hadn’t kicked four goals in a single opening term this year, but a Tom Papley snap left the Swans with five on the board at the first break.
The goalsneak blew another golden chance from the top of the square in the final minute before the break.
WASTED CHANCES
The early gaffe wasn’t the last for Papley, who blew several other opportunities to win the match off his own boot.
The electric Swan gave a rare bath to defender Mark O’Connor and was influential, but ended the day with 2.5 and was part of a second quarter that saw neither side kick a goal.
He missed snaps, set shots and running opportunities and will not want to see the tape from the afternoon as Dangerfield did what Papley couldn’t.
THE LITTLE MASTER IS BACK
While his teammates struggled to match the heat from the Swans, Gary Ablett didn’t miss a beat in the opening term.
His first touch saw Ablett shove Swan Dylan Stephens to the ground before dishing off a goal assist to Brandan Parfitt and second was another assist, this time a long bomb to Tom Hawkins.
It was vintage Ablett later in the quarter, when he burst out of the centre square late in the term to slot a trademark running goal.
After 66 days without a competitive match, he looked sharper than most of his teammates as he collected 16 disposals.
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Originally published as Sydney v Geelong: Patrick Dangerfield’s heroics help Cats avoid double chance disaster against Swans
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