Consistent Cat Duncan stars in the shadows

A premiership Cat in 2011, midfielder Mitch Duncan has carved out an outstanding career characterised by courage and excellence.

Geelong midfielder Mitch Duncan was described as “criminally underrated” by a teammate following the Cats’ dominant semi-final win over Collingwood Picture: Getty Images

As Geelong was putting Collingwood to the sword in the semi-finals last Saturday, a mature-aged Cat was running amok through the midfield.

Mitch Duncan was the most prolific player on the field, gathering 30 disposals and taking 12 marks in what was a dominant individual and team performance.

Such was the brilliance of Duncan, and his sustained excellence over a decade, Zach Tuohy felt compelled to emphasise his record when assessing the deeds of his teammate on Sunday.

“He’s been criminally underrated his whole career,” Tuohy told The Sunday Footy Show.

“He’s been in the top few midfielders in the competition for a very long time, especially in that run and ball use role.

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“We rate him incredibly highly internally, but we don’t feel like he probably gets the respect he deserves externally. Last night was a perfect example of just how good he is.”

The reason Duncan is overshadowed is not surprising. He has shared the midfield with a great of the game in Patrick Dangerfield and an enduring Cats champion in Joel Selwood. He has never won the Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong’s club champion, placing behind those two stars in 2014 and 2017, yet has always finished in the top 10 when fit.

More than any other Cats player, when Duncan is responsible for kicking the ball into the attacking arc, there is every chance it will end up in the arms of a teammate. His percentage in this regard sits just below 60 per cent and is higher than any other player in the competition.

The 29-year-old attributes this to being able to find the space necessary to choose the right option and have the time to execute the pass.

Duncan, who has played 221 games, is renowned as being diligent in his preparation and approaches each session on the training track with the same verve he does games.

Asked this week whether this dedication was the reason for his excellence, the West Australian instead put his consistency down to good fortune.

“Is it down to doing the extra miles? It is more about doing the best you can,” he told The Weekend Australian.

“Being in the game now, you understand more about yourself in terms of what is needed to play at the highest level and the base requirements.

“You tick off a few things you see that have worked for you. It becomes routine and a habit and once you have done those things, you know you have done everything to prepare.

“Over the space of nine to 10 years now, I have put together that routine and have tried to play the best footy that I can.”

Earlier this year, Duncan said he had no issues with the spotlight at Geelong resting on stars such as Dangerfield, Selwood, Gary Ablett and Tom Hawkins.

The beauty of playing and training alongside greats of the game is that Duncan, who hails from Perth, is still learning new tricks every week.

But it is not just the legends he is assessing. Younger Cats such as Brandan Parfitt have brought irrepressible enthusiasm and a hunger for success.

Former Richmond premiership player Shaun Grigg, who has effectively taken on an assistant coaching role given COVID-19 requirements, is another with wisdom to listen to.

“Those things can help you as an older player,” Duncan said.

“The enthusiasm of the new guys and how they live, they teach you new things as well.

“There is always room for improvement, always new ways of looking at something. There is not just one way of doing something.”

Duncan was a part of Geelong’s last premiership in 2011 in just his second season of football.

Reaching the final weekend has proven beyond the Cats since, but they have another opportunity in Saturday night’s preliminary final against Brisbane.

The Cats defeated the Lions at the SCG earlier this year but Duncan remembers well their one-point loss to Brisbane in a thriller last August. “Brisbane beat us there last year and we have plenty of work to do, a lot of hard work, but we have a great group and a great coach and we are excited about the challenge,” he said.