A four goal performance from Brad Close capped off a great night from Geelong’s new look offense, with a number of small forwards wreaking havoc inside 50 in a brilliant display across four quarters.
Close has been a consistent threat in the Cats forward arc all year booting goals in 15 of his 16 games, but the small forward capitalised against the Hawks with his second four goal haul of the year.
The pressure created allowed Geelong to impact the scoreboard consistently throughout the night, recording 30 scoring shots with five multiple goal kickers.
The agile forward set up also helped the Cats tall forwards with Jeremy Cameron (four goals), Shannon Neale (two goals) and Gary Rohan (two goals) all having a big impact
Close spoke with Cats Media following Saturday night’s win, noting that the connection between the forward group is growing stronger every week.
“The forwards finished our work better tonight, the first quarter was a bit slow but from there we kicked well,” Close said.
“The forward group are gelling really well, it is great to see guys like Shannon Neale step in and play some good footy.
“It was good to kick a few goals myself, I got a bit closer to the big sticks and got on the end of a couple which was nice.
“We are looking forward to getting some wins together, that is two in a row and I think we still have our best footy ahead of us."
Another important factor in Geelong’s win was Sam De Koning’s performance in the ruck, with the big Cat looking increasingly comfortable every week in his new role.
The young gun collected 20 disposals and four clearances, adding valuable spark out of the middle while also pushing forward to boot two goals in an impressive display.
Close touched on the importance of De Koning tonight, stating how his combination with Blicavs continues to flourish each game.
“His two goals helped up massively, it is good to see him pushing forward and having an impact,” Close said.
“His second efforts, following up with the ground balls has given us a lot through the middle.
“It seemed like he had a few clearances as well and between him and Blicavs, those two in the middle put together another great performance.
