AFL preliminary final news: Latest Geelong Cats v Brisbane Lions build up
Chris Scott says Geelong’s 23 won’t change but is keeping his cards close to his chest on last week’s medical sub Mark O’Connor, who has shut down Lachie Neale before.
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Mark O’Connor is “an option” to be elevated into Geelong’s starting 22 and stand Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale, with Chris Scott deciding not to show his hand before Friday night’s preliminary final.
Defender Jake Kolodjashnij was cleared to play on Tuesday and Scott said the Cats would be “unchanged” from the 23 that played in the qualifying final.
O’Connor was the medical sub against Collingwood two weeks ago but has tagged Neale successfully in the past, and Scott said he was “an option” to get the job again.
Brandan Parfitt was the only member of the squad who didn’t play in the first final that warmed up with the main group at Thursday morning’s captain’s run.
Scott labelled Neale, who was clear best-on-ground in an elimination final win over Richmond and fired in a second-half demolition of Melbourne last week, as his Brownlow Medal favourite and said “he needs to get some attention” from the Cats.
“(O’Connor) is an option. (Neale) has had a great season, I would expect he would win the Brownlow,” Scott said.
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“He would have to be in that conversation given the year he has had and his last two weeks have been terrific, he needs to get some attention. It is Russian roulette if you just try to play too offensively against him.
“To play on him (O’Connor) would have to come into the 22, but we are going to hold that back a bit.”
All-Australian Mark Blicavs could also spend time on Neale.
Ruck Rhys Stanley has secured his spot over back-up Jonathon Ceglar, who wasn’t dressed for training on Thursday.
“We think that all things considered, and there are a lot of things to consider, that Rhys is our best option this week,” Scott said.
Spearhead Tom Hawkins only made a brief appearance at training and has been on light duties in recent weeks, but Scott batted away any fitness issues and said the forward was “in great shape”.
Irish Cat’s pitch for Geelong to land McKenna
– Lauren Wood
Geelong defender Zach Tuohy would roll out the red carpet at the Cats for countryman Conor McKenna if the Irishman’s potential return to the AFL is fulfilled.
Irishman Tuohy said he had not spoken to McKenna, who is reportedly eyeing an AFL comeback after quitting Essendon and returning to Ireland to play Gaelic football at the end of 2020.
But the more Irish players at the Cats, the better, he said.
“I’m not involved (in trying to get him) … I would be interested (in having him at Geelong),” Tuohy said.
“He’s a top player. Any good players that you can get at your club, you want them all, and the more Irish players the better, as far as I’m concerned.
“An all-Irish half-back line as far as I’m concerned would be pretty special. I’d be all for it.”
The Herald Sun reported this week that Brisbane was keen on the Irish speedster, but that Geelong was plotting a play, particularly in the wake of missing out on Giants wantaway Jacob Hopper.
A deal could happen in the supplemental selection period over the upcoming summer for the 26-year-old, who played 76 games for the Bombers before returning home and winning an All-Ireland final victory for Tyrone.
Tuohy, 32, said he was “probably a generation or two ahead of him”, but that younger Cats may have touched base with McKenna.
The Cats defender is aiming to be just the second Irish player to claim an AFL premiership, after Tadhg Kennelly won with Sydney in 2005, and hopes he and teammate Mark O’Connor can make it three by the end of next weekend as Geelong eyes a grand final berth.
“Winning a flag is the only goal I have in my career … certainly since I’ve been at Geelong,” Tuohy said.
“I haven’t had a whole lot to do with Tadhg … he was obviously the Irish guy you looked up to.
“He was the only one that kind of was playing really regular for a long time and was the only ne to win a flag.
“The ambition is not to equal his record of winning a flag, it’s just to win one. If I can do it with Mark O’Connor, that would make it extra special.”
Cats weigh up prelim ruck gamble
– Sam Landsberger
Ben McEvoy would “love” longtime understudy Jon Ceglar to break back into Geelong‘s preliminary final line-up – eight years after taking his close mate’s spot in Hawthorn’s premiership team.
Utility Mark Blicavs displaced No. 1 big man Rhys Stanley in the ruck in the frantic finish against Collingwood last week and the Cats are considering bringing Ceglar in from the cold for Friday night’s preliminary final against Brisbane Lions.
McEvoy, who spent five seasons with Stanley at St Kilda and eight seasons with Ceglar at Hawthorn, praised Ceglar’s improved marking and running power.
The 31-year-old underwent surgery on his foot and knee early this season and has played just two AFL games for the Cats.
But they were both to a high standard and Stanley‘s form dip against Collingwood has opened the door for change, albeit Stanley remains the favourite to go up against Oscar McInerney at the MCG.
A Ceglar recall would be a fairytale of its own after ex-Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson dropped him for the 2014 grand final against Sydney, allowing McEvoy to win the first of two premierships.
Ceglar then hurt his back late in the 2015 season and was named an emergency for that premiership while in 2016 he ruptured his ACL in round 22 as the Hawks again finished in the top four.
McEvoy knew Ceglar’s 2014 selection heartbreak all too well, having been omitted from the Saints‘ grand final team in 2010 for hard nut Steven Baker.
McEvoy got his chance in the grand final replay the following week due to Michael Gardiner’s injury, but the Saints were smashed by Collingwood.
“(Ceglar’s) got a fair amount of experience now. He’s been around the AFL system for a long time, at Hawthorn through all of the successful period, and that always counts,” McEvoy told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“In a football sense he‘s a really strong mark now when he gets a launch at the ball and he can hit the scoreboard.
“He’s actually got underrated running power as well, in terms of being able to push forward and challenge an opponent, and he has the ability to accumulate the ball as well.
“Personally, it would be great to see because we're really close mates. But then I played quite a few years with Rhys as well and he’s made a really good go of things while he’s been at Geelong.”
McEvoy prefaced his comments by saying it was difficult to speculate from outside the four walls at the Cats because only they knew the inner workings of selection and which personnel best fitted together.
He described the 2014 grand final week as “really emotional”.
“I‘d found myself out of the team and had to work really hard to try and get my spot back in the grand final, but it always has to come at the expense of someone else,” the retired Hawthorn captain said.
“In that situation it was Jon, the irony being I knew exactly what it was like to be on his end of it.”
McInerney has recovered from his concussion and is expected to return for the Lions in the preliminary final.
“He’s sort of deceptively tall — he has a really long reach,” McEvoy said of Brisbane’s No.1 big man.
“And so, particularly in centre bounce, he can really get up and over and get the ball forward and out into dangerous spots.
“He‘s also improved dramatically on his ability to impact around the ground as well.
“Probably his biggest attribute is his work at stoppages and in particular centre bounce, which is so important in today's game with the 6-6-6 (rule).”
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