All the news as Geelong prepares for a blockbuster meeting with Melbourne
Geelong has put its faith in a pair of youngsters with contract extensions, keeping an interstate tall in Victoria.
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Geelong has locked away big man Shannon Neale as a show of faith in the West Australian youngster.
Neale, who played two AFL games in 2022, has inked a two-year extension that will tie him to the Cats until the end of 2025.
Midfielder James Willis, 19, has also re-upped with the Cats, with the hard midfielder signing up until the end of 2024.
Willis had his first season on Geelong’s list ruined by injury and has played five VFL matches this year and averaged 14.6 touches a game.
Seen as a long-term players as a tall forward who can spend time in the ruck, Neale, 20, had ankle surgery in mid-April and has not played since a round 3 VFL game but is set to return to play minutes at that level on Friday against Casey.
A host of players remain without deals for next year at Geelong, including Gryan Miers, Esava Ratugolea and Rhys Stanley.
Cats ‘can’t wait to bounce back’ against Demons
Geelong’s midfield “can’t wait to bounce back” against a star-studded Melbourne engine room as the Cats zero in on being themselves in the middle.
After a bright first half, Geelong went into “scramble mode” and was overpowered in a devastating 20 minutes by Port Adelaide’s on-ballers in a loss last week, with the Power routinely walking the ball out of the centre to set up goals.
Hard nut Tom Atkins said his midfield group had spoken with assistant coach Shaun Grigg about what went wrong in that period and decided some players got away from playing their own games.
“They’re (Port Adelaide) obviously really talented, we knew that going in,” Atkins said.
“We had our focuses going into the game, we thought the first quarter we were able to execute but we sort of went into scramble mode a bit when they start getting a run on like that.
“We have spoken to ‘Grigga’ since the game and it’s just about going back to your strengths as an individual player.
“Sometimes when things are going wrong like that you can try and do too much. I know personally, and Patty (Dangerfield) and other guys like that, we try to do everything and you need to go back to the things you do well personally.”
Geelong enjoyed a statement win in its Retro Round fixture against Melbourne last year, dominating clearances 54-36 and having 20 more inside-50s in a 28-point win.
Even with some different faces in the midfield mix, Atkins said his group wanted to prove they can take it up to the Demons, who are led by in-form duo Christian Petracca and Jack Viney, while fellow star Clayton Oliver remains a chance to return on Thursday night from an infection.
“They are obviously going really well, Viney and Petracca and the likes,” Atkins said.
“We are really looking forward to it. We really enjoy coming up against the best midfields.
“We can’t wait to bounce back from not the best outing on Thursday.”
Superstar forward Jeremy Cameron said the Cats were planning to keep “chipping away” at playing four quarters of consistent footy, after kicking six goals in the first term of the Power loss.
The Cats sit in 10th on the ladder with a 6-7 record, but Cameron said there was still time to make a move.
“We still have a lot of time in the season, it is getting closer to the back-end of the year but we know there is time to play our best football and when we get rolling it can be a really exciting thing,” he said.
Cats still believe after Port Adelaide loss
Geelong remains confident its “best footy is really dangerous” as it faces a potentially season-defining clash with Melbourne on Thursday night.
The Cats sit a game out of the top eight with a 6-7 record.
Since 2006, Geelong has had a negative win-loss record after the halfway mark of the season just once, in 2015, the only year the Cats missed the finals in that time.
A loss to the Demons on Thursday night could be a hammer blow to Geelong’s flag defence, with the Cats to face finals contenders in each of their last seven games of the season.
But defender Zach Guthrie says the Cats still believe they can deliver against the best sides and produce more consistent football after booting six goals in the first term of a loss to Port Adelaide last week.
“I think our best footy this year has still been really good,” he said.
“I thought that first quarter in particular, we were playing some really dangerous footy. That whole first half we were playing the way we wanted to and were looking really dangerous. It was probably that third quarter that (Port Adelaide) started looking dangerous.
“Melbourne are going really well at the moment. They have been a really good team for a number of years now. I watched the game against Collingwood (on King’s Birthday) and they looked really good too.
“I think the good thing for us is when we do play our best footy, we can match it with anyone. I think we just have to keep drawing on that and trying to bridge that gap and hold them up when teams do get on a run (against us).
“I think the good thing is we can be confident that our best footy is really dangerous.”
Geelong played with dare in that first term against Port Adelaide as the Cats took the ball forward with aggression and attacked the Power.
Guthrie said the first half of the 38-point loss showed the Cats playing “a really good brand of footy”.
The Cats will be without Patrick Dangerfield (ribs and collapsed lung) for the Melbourne game, while a shoulder injury to Tanner Bruhn was being assessed over the weekend.
Ruck Rhys Stanley made a successful return in Geelong’s VFL win over Frankston on Friday and should be available for an AFL return against Melbourne, while mid-season draftee Mitch Hardie and forward Ollie Dempsey impressed.
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