Mark Robinson: New Geelong is still a raging premiership contender

If you didn’t know before Thursday night’s result, the Cats are raging premiership chances. But they’re not doing it the old Geelong way. Mark Robinson on the new Cats.

The Danger signs are there for the rest of the AFL.

Premierships aren’t won in July, but respect and reputation is.

Especially on cold, dark and bruising nights on Corio Bay, with a new game style, new playing positions and a regenerated Patrick Dangerfield.

And, most of all, against the reigning premiers.

The way the Cats have played their 2022 season has been a work in progress, but it’s performances like Thursday night — a 12.19 (91) to 9.9 (63) victory — which delivers validation, if not supreme confidence.

The Cats are raging contenders to win the premiership.

If you believed that before last night, well played.

If you didn’t know that before Thursday night, then now you do.

The Danger signs are there for the rest of the AFL.

At Round 16, the Cats are on top the ladder and that in itself is ample validation for coach Chris Scott and his new coaching staff.

Notwithstanding the bunch of old-timers on the field, there’s a lot of newness about these Cats.

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They dismantled Melbourne, not so much by individual brilliance, but by winning an arm wrestle against a warrior team which finally yielded early in the final quarter.

Up until then, Melbourne scrapped and scratched and at one stage in the final quarter got within seven points. It would’ve been remarkable against the play.

This was a total team performance by Geelong, no doubt, and won on the back of an incredible clearance domination.

Danger, as he so often does, dominated, but there’s more to these Cats. Much more. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

They were +18 against Melbourne’s much heralded Holy Trinity of Oliver, Petracca and Viney and Max Gawn. That’s a smashing.

Geelong’s always been a tough team, and this year they are a tough and quicker ball movement team. Last night, they played on almost one in three times, which is high.

In essence, they out-toughed the toughies. That’s major, 18-plus clearances, and the Demons also kicked out of bounds on the full six times. That’s 24 times Melbourne was on the back foot, mostly out of the middle, and gave Geelong an incredibly strong territory dominance.

Who would’ve thought Tom Atkins, the one-time pressure forward who became a rabid halfback, would find a home as a rottweiler midfielder. He’s hard and tough and one of the reasons why Joel Selwood is coming off the bench.

Selwood’s still valuable, and he and Atkins are sharing the absolute grunt work. They combined for 16 clearances and 20 contested balls.

Tom Atkins allows the Cats to rest ageing warrior Joel Selwood. Picture: Michael Klein

Atkins, Dangerfield, Selwood, Blicavs and Cam Guthrie won the midfield, and if Dangerfield was best afield, you could argue Blicavs was the most valuable. He played on Petracca and Oliver in the middle, and was part of the demolition.

There’s an age-old theory that you’re only as good as your worst players, and the Cats’ so-called worst players in recent years have taken giant strides.

Atkins, Gryan Miers (19 disposals and eight score involvements), Brad Close (16 and seven tackles, Gary Rohan (nine disposals and two goals), Max Holmes (17 disposals and seven marks) and, of course, Tyson Stengle, are a formidable emerging group.

Stengle is a jet and he kicked 1.3. That’s bad, but not as bad as Dangerfield’s 0-4. The Cats should’ve won by 45 points, according to expected scores.

As expected, the fury of the contest came with the first bounce and lasted until early in the final quarter.

Tyson Stengle is a jet in the Cats’ forward line. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

The physical pressure was solid without being gladiatorial, but the perceived pressure forced rushed and hurried kicks, mistakes, and tackle upon tackle was the theme. It was tackle, harass, stoppage, mistake, pressure and get up and go again

The pressure at half time was Geelong 174 to Melbourne 172. In the second half it was Geelong 196 to Melbourne’s 179. That’s significant.

Jeremy Cameron had his first kick in the second quarter and finished goalless. Tom Hawkins kicked his only goal in the final quarter. It shows the Cats have depth of scoring and are not as reliant on the big fellas as most observers believe they are.

In the final quarter, Geelong had the last 14 inside 50s. In the third quarter, they had a run of 10 inside 50s. Combined in these two quarters, they won the count by 20. That’s also a smashing.

The Cats did it without gun defender To Stewart. Picture: Michael Klein

At the end, and what started the final quartet onslaught, Melbourne was punished by what punished them all night, a stoppage goal. This time it came from Cam Guthrie who is playing best and fairest footy.

As deep September beckons, Geelong appears to have its game in good nick, and Tom Stewart will be back in three weeks.

Not so the Demons. They have issues in their F50. Bailey Fritsch (1.3) is a good ol’ fashioned goal-hungry forward and his selfishness costs his team, while Ben Brown (one goal) is more miss than hit.

Their small forwards had an almost night, too, but they wouldn’t be the first small forwards to find the going tough in the peculiar pockets on Corio Bay.

Indeed, the Demons battled with the whole ground for most of the night.

Originally published as Mark Robinson: New Geelong is still a raging premiership contender