AFL Fremantle v Geelong: All the latest news and analysis from the Cats’ massive win
Coach Chris Scott has praised the way the Cats handled the unexpected Covid protocols in Perth. And, in an ominous sign, says they are in better shape than last year.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Geelong could hit the finals series feeling fresher than previous seasons following a series of injury-enforced layoffs to some of the club’s biggest names.
The Cats are optimistic they will regain sharpshooter Gary Rohan and Lachie Henderson for Sunday’s blockbuster Grand Final rematch against Richmond, although it remains unclear if the game will be played at the MCG.
The venue call will hinge on a reduction in new COVID-19 cases next week and whether crowds can return to the football for Round 19.
But Richmond chief executive Brendan Gale said “our expectation is we will be returning” (to Melbourne) on Saturday in preparation to face the Cats at the MCG on Sunday.
Watch The 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
The Cats dismantled Fremantle on Thursday night and will now enjoy an extended nine-day break before the clash against the reigning premier after flying home to Victoria on Friday afternoon.
The Cats shored-up their top-two spot without Jeremy Cameron (hamstring), Henderson (personal reasons) and Rohan who had a corked leg and had also been carrying a broken finger in recent weeks.
Rohan has played with a guard to protect the finger, but it was the corked leg against Carlton off a shortened five-day break that sidelined him.
Scott said the Cats were well placed to handle the inevitable COVID-19 challenges they will face in the run home to the finals and believed there could be a silver lining to some of the injuries stars Patrick Dangerfield (ankle) and Jeremy Cameron (hamstring) have suffered this season.
“We think with some players to come back and some players who have been managed - some deliberately, some inadvertently with injuries - Dangerfield, for example and (Mark) O’Connor missed one month with a hamstring,” Scott said.
“We have a lot of guys who haven’t had the arduous workload a full season.
“We are optimistic we can hit our stride and be in pretty good form going into the finals.”
RELATED: AFL’S QUARANTINE LIFELINE FOR STRANDED FAMILIES
Cameron is listed as 3-5 weeks away from making a return from his third hamstring injury of the season after dual setbacks before Round 1.
Midfielder Mitch Duncan is 5-7 weeks away, which could see the star wingman make his comeback in preparation for a qualifying final after the bye.
Scott praised the team for the way it handed the unexpected quarantine protocols it faced in Perth after confirmation mid-air that COVID-19 had hit the MCG during Geelong’s clash against Carlton last Saturday.
The Cats were restricted to their hotel rooms until they received a negative test result and were only allowed out for a few hours for a walk on Thursday.
Scott fiercely defended the league’s handling of the situation and said the families of players and staff had to be understanding it was a privilege for them to continue to play at the top level.
“We want our players to be with families as much as possible. But families have to understand that we are privileged to be able to continue doing our job and getting paid and doing what we love,” he said.
“Sometimes, with that comes sacrifice, but with that sacrifice, hopefully comes some dividends.”
Scott said the Cats were in a good position to be able to overcome the hurdles the latest COVID-19 outbreaks presented including any potential hub scenarios.
“We had a good experience last year (in the hub) given the circumstances and at least we have some evidence to fall back on that we can handle these situations,” Scott said.
“That’s not to say it won’t be difficult over these last five or six weeks or whatever it is to finish the home-and-away season.
“But I don’t think we need to get on the front foot too much with the players to have them brace themselves.
“What we want them to do is embrace the possibilities and opportunities in front of us.
“I suspect it is much harder when you don’t have the carrot of performing late into the year in front of you.”
Cats smashing changes finals race
- Brad Elborough
Geelong left Optus Stadium after Thursday night’s dominant win over Fremantle on top of the ladder, but with no clarity on where they would play their Round 19 clash with Richmond.
The Tigers Round 18 clash with Brisbane had to be moved to Queensland after a Covid outbreak forced a snap lockdown in Victoria.
Cats coach Chris Scott threw his support behind the AFL’s handling of fixturing and while his preference is head back to their families in Victoria, said they had to prepare for a chance that won’t happen.
“We want our players to be with families as much as possible,” he said. “But families have to understand that we are privileged to be able to be able to continue doing our job.
“Sometimes, with that comes sacrifice, but with that sacrifice, hopefully comes some dividends.
“Any criticism levelled at the AFL in the last 18 months is unwarranted, misplaced and opportunistic and cheap.
“But it doesn’t say it is not difficult.”
Wherever the Cats head from Perth, they head there is ripping form, having won nine of their past 10 games.
They will wake up on Friday morning on top of the AFL ladder after a 69-point win over the Dockers.
The Cats did that without injured pair Jeremy Cameron and Gary Rohan and Lachie Henderson, who was managed.
Scott said the performance was an important one, considering he felt they hadn’t been at their best over the previous month.
“We’re getting closer,” he said.
“We haven’t been as good as we could over the past month. We had an off night against Brisbane at the Gabba. Had a tight, lucky win against Bulldogs and played well against Port.
“Our plan is to get better as the year goes on.
“With some players to come back and some who have been managed, we have a lot of guys who haven’t had the arduous workload of a full season.
“We can hit our stride and be in good form going into the finals.”
One of those players who missed a big chunk of the first half of the season, who seems to be hitting his stride, is Patrick Dangerfield.
Dangerfield played his sixth game back from surgery on Thursday night and had a huge impact.
He kicked three goals, had 22 possessions and six clearances.
Scott used him in attack both because of the missing targets in that area and also for his abilities in the wet, slippery conditions. But he can prepare for a change of scenery in coming weeks.
“We want to get him back to what he can get to in the midfield,” Scott said.
“Surgery meant he had eight weeks away, so we have had to be more thoughtful of where we put him.
“We think he’s on the right track.”
How Geelong’s Dockers smashing changes finals race
Geelong continues to pile the pressure on the other sides eyeing off a top-four finish.
The Cats moved to the top of the AFL ladder with a 69 – point win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Thursday night.
They started the game exactly five per cent behind top-placed Melbourne, but mauled the Dockers, making light of the wet conditions.
The lopsided 14.16 (100) to 3.13 (31) scoreline saw the Cats leapfrog the Demons with an advantage of 0.4 per cent.
The Cats dominated the Dockers, who were on their home ground where they seldom lose, and who had won three of their past four games to sneak into the top eight.
But just when they were showing signs of improvement, they sink to their lowest defeat under coach Justin Longmuir.
With the AFL on the brink of moving back into hubs, getting a good win on the road could not have come at a better time for the Cats.
They have posted four losses this season, three of them outside of Victoria, at the Gabba, Adelaide Oval and SCG.
The Cats are currently scheduled to play Richmond at the MCG next Sunday, while Fremantle is hopeful of moving its Saturday clash with Sydney from Geelong to Perth.
FINDING THOSE GOALS
Geelong’s first goal of the night was also their 200th for the season.
They became only the sixth side to reach that milestone this season, joining the Western Bulldogs (219), Brisbane (212), Sydney (203), Port Adelaide (200) and Essendon (206), the only one of those sides currently outside of the top eight.
Going into the game, there were concerns that the Cats would struggle to find avenues to goal with Jeremy Cameron and Gary Rohan sidelined.
But they still managed, finding nine goal scorers, taking 16 marks inside their attacking 50.
Tom Hawkins booted four goals and Patrick Dangerfield three, although he could have kicked a bag.
The Dockers need to clean up their attack if they want to challenge. They went into the game with only 175 goals for the season.
They are getting shots on goal, usually, but this was also the 12th game this season when they have kicked more behinds than goals.
And they have now lost eight of those 12 games, with a combined scoreboard of 75.106.
CATS ON A ROLL
As some of the expected contenders continue to struggle, especially after the bye, the Cats have now won nine of their past 10 games.
They are starting games with intent, trailing only once at half-time in their past eight games, that was in their Round 15 loss to Brisbane.
On the flip-side, Fremantle continue to do it tough against teams that, like them, remain in the mix to finish in the top eight.
They have beaten only Greater Western Sydney and Sydney, losing to Melbourne, West Coast, Brisbane, Essendon, Port Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs and now Geelong.
They have poor starts in most of those games, winning the first term only once in those nine games, against the Giants.
They were lucky to be only 14 points down at the break on Thursday night.
Geelong got a lot more of the ball in the first term and finished with 123 more possessions.
The Dockers’ only goal for the term came from a free kick when Mark Blicavs too obviously walked the ball across the boundary line.
Andrew Brayshaw slotted it through from the boundary more than 24 minutes into the term. They didn’t get one in either the second or fourth terms.
DOCKERS BIG MAN FUTURE
Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy signed a two-year contract extension during the week, ending speculation he may head to Melbourne after this season.
He celebrated with a terrific game, before he was forced out of the game with a knee injury.
He led all possession getters for most of the first half.
He showed all potential suitors, including Geelong, what they have missed out on, for now at least.
But Fremantle was unable to finish off his good work, including the big man himself, who failed to score from two shots on goal within 50m, both within minutes of each other midway through the second term.
Hawkins made them pay, with two goals of his own in the following two minutes to open up a 32-point lead for the Cats.
The Dockers, with 1.7 on the board at half-time, trailed by 43 points, their biggest deficit at the main break this season – just a week after scoring 100 points (against Hawthorn) for the first time this season.
Goal scoring was never going to be easier for the Dockers in the second half, with key forward Rory Lobb subbed out at the break with an ankle injury.
FREMANTLE V GEELONG
DOCKERS 1.3 1.7 3.10 3.13 31
CATS 3.5 8.8 11.12 14.16 100
ELBOROUGH’S BEST
Dockers: Darcy, Brayshaw, Ryan, Fyfe, Wilson.
Cats: Menegola, Guthrie, Dangerfield, Dahlhaus, Tuohy, Hawkins.
GOALS
Dockers: Brayshaw, Colyer, Walters.
Cats: Hawkins 4; Dangerfield 3; Close, Dahlhaus, Menegola, Miers, Narkle, Ratugolea, Selwood.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BRAD ELBOROUGH’S VOTES
3 Sam Menegola (CATS)
2 Cam Guthrie (CATS)
1 Patrick Dangerfield (CATS)
Originally published as AFL Fremantle v Geelong: All the latest news and analysis from the Cats’ massive win
Star’s bold warning after shattering record
An England cricket star has made a bold declaration after he shattered the record books and elevated himself to all-time status.
Ablett’s heartbreaking condition reveal
Jordan and Gary Ablett had been reluctant to discuss many details about their little boy’s heartbreaking condition until now.