All of Cats recent hard work paid off on the weekend when they rampaged the bottom placed Frankston outfit, coming away 24.18.162 to 11.3.69 winners in front of a delighted home crowd.
Cameron Mooney’s five first half goals set up the victory early, whilst the midfield work of Jonathon Simpkin (36 possesions), Mark Corrigan (30 possesions, 6 tackles) and the white hot Simon Hogan (30 possesions, 3 goals) kept the Dolphins at bay all afternoon.
The game kicked off in the way the Cats would have planned with their defensive pressure and run, paramount to opening up the Dolphins defence. Goals to Trent West, Josh Cowan and two to veteran forward Mooney opened up a 33 point advantage at the first break.
In perhaps one of Geelong’s most impressive quarters for the year they went on a 9 goal to 3 rampage of their lacklustre opponents whilst kicking into a noticeable breeze. The work of Dawson Simpson and Trent West in the ruck showed that they plenty to offer the Geelong Football Club going into the future with both big men giving Geelong midfielders silver service at stoppages all over the ground. West’s solo ruck grab and goal set the home crowd alight and will prove perhaps the highlight of the big man’s impressive season to date. Jordan Schroder’s second quarter also indicated how far the first year youngster had come in his time at the Cats, as he tackled and used the ball with pin point precision capping it off with two goals. After Mooney’s fifth goal for game and 3rd for quarter the margin sat at 74 points and looked as if records were set to tumble. The only blight on the Cats brilliant first half was the fact that Frankston were scoring every time they went inside fifty showing that there was still room for improvement going into the second half.
With the game beyond Frankston’s reach, the second half provided the Cats with the perfect opportunity to get some big name players into form, and none more important than key forward Tom Hawkins. After an initial run of play to the Dolphins the Cats were able to gain back the ascendency and convert through some impressive Simon Hogan work. The moment Cats fans have been waiting for came in the third term when Hawkins sailed above his Frankston opponents to take a big contested mark, and kick truly for his third of the game but more importantly a lynch-pin moment in the young forwards season and hopefully a kick start to an impressive second half of year in the senior team. Simpkins first goal for the game came after some hotly contested Cameron Guthrie midfield work whilst fellow youngster George Horlin-Smith added to the plethora of Geelong scorers after Corrigan and Cowan combined brilliantly across half forward. Frankston’s only goal for the quarter came from half forward flanker Khan Haretuku after a rare inside fifty for the struggling visitors. The lead could have amazingly been a lot heftier than 116 points as the Cats squandered numerous opportunities kicking 7 goal 10 behinds for the term to Frankstons 1 goal 1.
With the margin sitting at 116 points at the beginning of the last quarter, the home side was in the unfamiliar position of having the win sewed up long before the final siren. After Hogan put through the first goal for the quarter and his 3rd for the game, the Dolphins amazingly put on seven goals to Geelong’s two for the remainder of the game. After Frankston’s last goal for the game through Gabriel the margin was back down to 93 points and that’s where it finished up.
Simon Hogan’s return to brilliant football, Cameron Mooney’s continued improvement and the constant growth of first year players Cameron Guthrie, George Horlin-Smith and Jordan Schroeder are all major positives for the improving Geelong.
Geelong has the bye next week and will be back at Skilled Stadium on Saturday the 16th of July to take on Coburg. Match kicks off at 1.10pm.
Geelong Cats 24-18-(162)
Frankston Dolphins 11-3-(69)
Goals: Mooney 5, Hogan, Hawkins, West 3, Schroder, Simpkin, Phillips 2, Cowan, Corrigan, Horlin-Smith, Burbury 1
Best: Hogan, Cowan, Simpkin, Corrigan, West, Mooney
