After watching Mark Blicavs go to both Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca at different times last week against Melbourne, it wasn’t a surprise to see Geelong’s most versatile player take Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps on Saturday night at the MCG, but it was effective.
The dual All-Australian Cripps finished the game with 17 touches, well below his season average of 27, as Blicavs was virtually inside his shoulder strapping at every stoppage, critically blunting the first use that Cripps regularly provides.
Speaking with Channel 7 following the Cats 30 point win, Blicavs said the plan had been hatched during the week.
“I thought I'd take him at stoppages and then when I was in the ruck, commanding someone else to take him,” he said. “He's probably my height, it's amazing, he could probably play ruck he's so big and strong.”
Going into the game, the 31 year old had split his time between defence (31%), wing (21%), ruck (42%), centre bounce mid (5%) and forward (1%), with the more time on the midfield on the horizon if Chris Scott’s post game comments are anything to go by.
It’s not the first time he’s said it but Scott was emphatic on Saturday about where he thought his best position is:
“The evidence is in,” he said. “Blicavs is a midfielder who can play back. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t been watching us.”
The rise of young key back Sam De Koning has allowed for Blicavs to be deployed where he’s needed week to week, providing the Geelong coaching group with a potentially devastating ace up their collective sleeve come September.
As for Blicavs himself he’s lapping up the opportunity to be closer to the action more often.
“I'm loving being around the ball a bit more, so when Rhys is off I'm rucking and if not I’m playing in there and just trying to play my role.
“I've never had 30 touches in my career, so I'm not a ball magnet type player but I'll just try and help Guth, Sel, Axe and Danger get all the touches and I’ll try and shut down whoever I need to.”
