The season has finally hit the halfway mark and Geelong’s assignment this week could arguably be their toughest yet.

On Saturday, the Cats will take on the in-form Eagles at Optus Stadium from 8.10pm AEST (6.10pm AWST).

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West Coast were superb last week defeating fellow top four contenders Collingwood by 66-points.

Josh Kennedy returned to his best with seven goals, while former Cat Tim Kelly was dominant through the midfield.

Although the Cats victory against Fremantle wasn’t quite as eye-catching, they did what was needed to be done and secured the win in wet and wild conditions.

For and Against: Played 53 games | Won: 26 | Drawn: 1 | Lost: 26

Last time they met: SF, 2019 – Geelong 13.10 (88) def West Coast 10.8 (68)

Broadcast & Match Details

Saturday 1 August from 8.10pm AEST.
Watch: Channel Seven, Fox Footy, Kayo
Listen: K Rock Football

A unique challenge

Coach Chris Scott suspects that Geelong’s Round 9 clash against West Coast will be a ‘unique challenge’.

“They got jumped a little bit against Collingwood but really clicked after that, so this is going to be a unique challenge I suspect,” Scott said.

“Just because you have been in good form one week doesn’t guarantee anything for the next week, but we can only go on the evidence provided over the last fortnight especially and they seem to be in pretty good shape, have good availability and their good players are well and truly up and going.”

Containing the West Coast midfield

A large portion of those good players Scott is referring too are within West Coast’s midfield.

The Eagles have an even spread of contributors with Andrew Gaff, Tim Kelly, Dom Sheed, Elliot Yeo and Luke Shuey all averaging at least 19 disposals per game.

Add in ruck duo Nic Naitanui and Oscar Allen, the Eagles have a very well-balanced engine room capable of matching it with any side.

Naitanui was outstanding opposed to star Magpie Brodie Grundy last weekend and it will be interesting to see how Scott decides to approach this matchup and whether Mark Blicavs or Esava Ratugolea gets first crack.

Regardless of whichever approach the Cats decide, Scott’s troops will be confident of matching the Eagles in the middle.

Cam Guthrie and Sam Menegola are in career-best form, Brandan Parfitt is getting better with every game and then you have the star power in Patrick Dangerfield and Mitch Duncan.

The matchup between Dangerfield and Yeo in particular is set to be beauty. Both players lead the clearance count for their respective sides and have the ability to impact the contest in all areas of the ground.

Blicavs Back v Ruck Debate

You only have to look back to last year’s semi-final to find the last time the Cats defeated the Eagles with Blicavs playing in the ruck.

On that occasion Harry Taylor played on Kennedy. With Rhys Stanley and Darcy Fort set to be sidelined that approach appears to be likely once again, although Scott admits where Blicavs lines up will be a topic for debate.

“It is always a strong debate and Kennedy kicking seven, he is in really good form, but we have a lot of faith in our defenders.

“We have what we think is a pretty good mix of defenders, (Lachie) Henderson coming in a doing a good job last week was a nice luxury for us to have.

“You don’t have to go too far back to look at exposed form against West Coast and our defenders without Blicavs in there.

Harry Taylor played on him in the final last year and he has been a pretty good defender over a long time Harry Taylor and in combination with Henderson, (Jake) Kolodjashnij, (Jack) Henry and (Tom) Stewart we feel like we have got a pretty flexible mix.

“That doesn’t take away from the fact that I consider Blicavs to be one of the premier defenders in the competition.”

After being rated best-on-ground against the Dockers according to Champion Data the Cats have the luxury knowing that wherever Blicavs lines up, he will be a strong contributor for his team.

GEELONG have been overrun by an impressive West Coast outfit, going down by nine points at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

Geelong looked on track for a mighty upset when Zach Tuohy kicked his side almost four goals clear early in the second half, only for the Eagles to slowly wear their rivals down. 

New Coleman Medal frontrunner Josh Kennedy proved the difference, booting three of his four majors in a thrilling final term to lead West Coast to an 11.7 (73) to 10.4 (64) win. 

Kennedy took only 16 seconds to kick the first of his goals but barely touched the ball until three-quarter time, with Jake Kolodjashnij, Lachie Henderson and Harry Taylor rotating on him. 

He came to life in the last term, getting on the end of a Tim Kelly pass for his second, before brushing off Taylor at a stoppage and crumbing a Nic Naitanui tap to snap truly and cut the Cats' buffer to two points. 

Jack Darling subsequently gave West Coast its first lead since Kennedy's opener but the game remained in the balance as the minutes ticked away. 

Enter Kennedy again. Jamie Cripps opted to put the ball at the top of the goalsquare, with Kennedy timing his jump perfectly to snatch the Sherrin from the air and seal the game.

Naitanui was also integral in the second-half fightback, gradually working over makeshift Cats combination Esava Ratugolea and Mark Blicavs to keep his All-Australian bid pumping. . 

Geelong was terrific in the opening half and for much of the night, controlling the tempo with expert ball movement and disciplined defence that limited the Eagles' patented kick-and-catch game. 

West Coast averaged a League-most 84 marks in the first eight rounds but had only 27 at half-time and 57 by the end. 

Tom Stewart was a leviathan down back for the Cats, who were also well served by the silky skilled Mitch Duncan, superstar Patrick Dangerfield and Zach Tuohy in his new forward role.

No need for big numbers

Nic Naitanui's remarkable return to his best form after his torrid injury run added another chapter on Saturday night. Geelong might have been satisfied with how Esava Ratugolea and Mark Blicavs were performing against him at half-time but 'Nic Nat' was prominent in the final two quarters as West Coast ran rampant. The 30-year-old finished with 12 hitouts to advantage, four clearances, six score involvements and 10 disposals. It was just the fourth time this season that Naitanui had double-digit touches but his critics on that front are long silenced. If Cyril Rioli was the game's best 15-disposal player, then Naitanui has the mantle with 10. Whether he's jumping all over his opposition ruckman in the centre, charging out of the centre with his own clearance or burying someone in a tackle, the No.2 pick from the 2008 NAB AFL Draft is a menace. 

A goal or not?

West Coast had slashed the Cats' lead to two points early in the final term when the controversial moment of the night arrived. The pro-Eagles Optus Stadium crowd had voiced their displeasure many times during the night but saved their loudest boos for this one. Geelong second-gamer Brad Close slipped a handball to an on-the-move Sam Simpson, whose attempt to kick a much-needed goal came off his knee first then arguably his foot. The goal umpire's initial reaction was to award a goal but it was sent to the ARC for a score review. None of the 'slow-mo' shots were conclusive, leaving the Cats to celebrate. Ultimately, it didn't matter, with West Coast running Geelong down as its form surge continued.

Constable holding office well

It's always been a tad surprising we haven't seen more of Charlie Constable since he was drafted in 2017. The prolific tall midfielder played seven of the first nine games last year but couldn't get closer than emergency duties thereafter – and had to wait until round eight this season to return. Constable won 19 possessions in the wet against Fremantle, then followed up with 16 more in Saturday night's loss to West Coast, including 12 in the first half. His numbers would have been more impressive except for him departing early after copping a head knock. It's unclear how much of a role Constable will play for the remainder of the season, given the likes of Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Quinton Narkle, Jack Steven and Luke Dahlhaus are still out of the side. Either way, coach Chris Scott knows he can depend on Constable, but rival clubs' interest in him is sure to keep rising. He is contracted at the Cattery until the end of the 2021 season.

WEST COAST     3.0     4.2     7.6     11.7     (73)
GEELONG          4.0     7.0     9.2     10.4     (64) 

GOALS
West Coast: Kennedy 4, Sheed 2, Darling 2, Ryan, Cripps, Ah Chee
Geelong: Tuohy 2, Hawkins 2, Menegola, Duncan, Dangerfield, Parfitt, Miers, Simpson 

BEST
West Coast: Kennedy, Sheed, Yeo, Kelly, Shuey, Naitanui
Geelong: Stewart, Duncan, Dangerfield, Tuohy, Guthrie, Menegola 

INJURIES
West Coast: Edwards (concussion)
Geelong: Constable (concussion)