GEELONG stalwart Harry Taylor has highlighted the efforts of reigning Carji Greeves medallist Mark Blicavs on a difficult day for the Cats.
Blicavs performed admirably in a difficult defensive role opposed to Fremantle’s resting ruckmen in Aaron Sandilands and Sean Darcy.
“I thought he was probably our most important player on the field – we didn’t have too many unfortunately,” Taylor says.
"He was taking the bigger matchup and was able to take some good intercept marks down there for us which are really important in the modern game.
"We had a bit of a chat during the week and again on gameday about how he was going to play the role. Those types of guys are great at wrestling – they might have 50 stoppages a game where they get to wrestle their direct opponent.
"You probably want to avoid that as much as you can and I thought he did that well. It’s just a matter of reading the ball well, making contact with your opponent when you need to and flying for the mark if it’s there. Otherwise the big spoils are important as well.
Taylor says Blicavs also used his mobility to his advantage against his taller opponents and was crucial in generating run out of the Cats’ defence.
“He was able to give us some drive there, particularly early in the game when I felt like we were on top. It was because of some of the work he was doing behind the ball for us.
“He was able to get some of those intercepts and turn them into attack for us. We didn’t attack as well as we would have liked as a team but certainly on his part, he was good at getting the metres gained for us and getting it back going our way.”
Blicavs versatility meant the athletic tall was also swung into the ruck late in the game, a move which sparked a turnaround in round 15 against the Crows.
“We needed a bit of a spark and was able to actually get his hand on the ball and we were able to use some of his running ability to hopefully get the ball going our way,” Taylor says.
Blicavs now faces the unenviable task of opposing another maxi-sized key forward in Ben Brown this weekend.
“Ben’s in really good form and played well against us last time,” Taylor says.
“I think Blitz will probably get that matchup again and it’s going to be tough. Ben Brown is a really good runner and obviously so is Blitz so that will always be a great battle and one that I’m sure he’ll really enjoy. He loves the big jobs.
“It’s a battle that I think the fans will come to enjoy in the coming years as they play against each other as their careers go on."
