Geelong coach Chris Scott has launched an impassioned defence of star defender Tom Stewart, who faces a nervous wait with the match review officer, after the Cats overcame the absence of gun midfielder Bailey Smith to defeat Gold Coast on Saturday night.
On what could prove a landmark night in their premiership quest, the Cats showed the new kids on the block what a real flag contender looks like, shutting out the Suns by 24 points – 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37).
Tom Stewart was again a standout for the Cats, but could have a case to answer for an incident late in the contest.Credit: AFL Photos
It was shaping as a drama-free evening at the Cattery until Stewart ironed out Noah Anderson with a bone-jarring bump deep into the final quarter. Anderson was sent to hospital for scans to his chest but, the Suns said, early tests indicated he was not concussed.
Stewart did not make a play for the ball but appeared to slow down and brace for contact with Anderson without his feet leaving the ground. Contact was made to the body of Anderson, who was reeling from the hit to the ribs, but his head also hit the ground.
A grading of careless conduct with high impact to the body would result in a one-game ban for Stewart, but his coach is adamant the man he rates as the best player in his team had done nothing wrong.
“If they change the rules, and you make body contact with a hip and shoulder, and you hurt the body, that’s a massive change to the game,” Scott said.
“I don’t think we’re currently at that stage.
“Anyone who understands the modern game would be really impressed with the way he approached that. The early decision to come forward, full speed, looking to win the ball first.
“When you can’t win the ball … now you have a duty of care to the oncoming player. If you’re in a position where contact is unavoidable, you need to be very, very careful.
“Cues like: ‘Do everything you can to avoid head contact, don’t leave the ground, turn your head to protect yourself. Any malice or intent to hurt and you hit him in the head, you’re in big trouble. Protective action where contact is inevitable, and you don’t get him in the head – then you’ve done everything you can.”
Tom Atkins was constantly in the thick of the action for the Cats.Credit: Getty Images
Suns coach Damien Hardwick said his club was confident Anderson has avoided injury, despite not playing out the game.
“He’s gone for scans on his chest, just precautionary [scans], [and] we think he’s OK,” Hardwick said.
“Our doctor cleared him [of concussion] – it wasn’t an issue. The ARC sent him off to make sure he had a test, but the doctor cleared him of that. It’s just his chest.”
That Anderson was not concussed will count in Stewart’s favour. Stewart was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a high bump on Richmond’s Dion Prestia.
“We hope first and foremost he [Anderson] was OK,” Stewart’s premiership teammate Tom Hawkins said on Fox Footy. “Any time there’s head impact you can’t help but think the player that bumps has got some sort of [case to] answer.”
Stewart was back to his best in this game with 23 disposals and 14 marks. While others fumbled, he handled the ball like it was a dry day.
The incident took some of the gloss after a result that saw the Cats back in the top four for the first time since round one. And they are every chance to stay there.
A club that is perennially in contention, Geelong could not be in a better position to hunt for their second flag in four seasons.
There are no guarantees in this competition, but the 9-4 Cats have a dream run home with only two more matches against sides currently in the eight, and five more at their beloved Geelong home ground, where they are rarely beaten.
This win was achieved without Smith, who was a late withdrawal due to hamstring tightness. Scott said the club is “very, very confident” he will be available to face Essendon at the MCG on Saturday.
But Smith was not missed, as Max Holmes and Tom Atkins reigned supreme against the Suns’ vaunted midfield of Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller.
Anderson, tagged by Mark O’Connor, was limited to 19 possessions, while Oisin Mullin held Touk Miller to 20 disposals.
In greasy conditions, Holmes’s clean ball handling and speed was telling, as were his career-high 40 possessions and 862 metres gained in a game where clearance and territory were priceless.
The Cats gradually wore down the Suns through their tenacity at the contest, but Tyson Stengle was the match-winner with four goals in a low-scoring game.
Jeremy Cameron was blanketed by Mac Andrew, managing just six touches and a behind, and Patrick Dangerfield also had little influence, but it did not matter.
“Tyson Stengle was the difference in the game,” Hardwick said.
The Suns, whose previous eight visits to this venue yielded an average loss of nearly 12 goals, were plucky but are not yet at the level of the top teams. Their midfield lacked bite, and they got no run out of their half-back playmakers Daniel Rioli and John Noble.
“We don’t take any note in honourable losses – that’s not us any more,” Hardwick said. “We’ve got to get better. I was really pissed off, to be perfectly honest. We knew the game we needed to have, and unfortunately failed the test.”
