There’s no denying the harsh reality of Saturday’s performance.
Geelong was dismantled by a hungry Essendon outfit, in a performance that Cats coach Chris Scott described as inexplicable.
“We didn’t execute any of the things we planned going in,” he said.
“We just couldn’t apply the requisite pressure that’s needed to beat a team that’s up and about.”
The Cats were unable to match the Bombers frantic attack on the ball, applying 23 less tackles as Essendon rebounded in the strongest fashion from a disappointing loss to Carlton.
Coming into the match, the spotlight was well and truly on Essendon, and as is often the case in football, the Bombers came out firing.
Thankfully for Geelong the club will have the exact same opportunity to bounce back this coming Saturday night at GMHBA Stadium.
The intense glare of the football media will be focused on the Cattery, but these turning points in a season can often provide a launching pad.
One only needs to look at Melbourne to understand how a disappointing loss can provide the kick in the pants a club needs to turn things around.
On the weekend the Demons demolished Carlton by 109, recording the club’s largest winning margin in 25 years.
Just five rounds ago, Melbourne had suffered a demoralising 67-point defeat to Hawthorn before turning in another disappointing loss to Richmond under the spotlight of the ANZAC day stage.
Since those subpar performances, the Dees have strung together four consecutive wins culminating in the record-setting defeat of the Blues.
And those Hawks that demolished the Dees by 67 points in round four? Hawthorn themselves lost to the winless Lions by 56 points last night, adding another layer of complexity to the topsy-turvy 2018 season.
Like the Hawks this week and Melbourne four weeks ago, Geelong now has its own chance to show pride in its performance and turn things around in emphatic fashion.
With Carlton on the cards and two teams smarting from heavy losses, round ten in Geelong is shaping as a crucial and enthralling clash.
