With the eyes of the football world focused on Simonds Stadium for much of this week, it’s easy to forget the Cats face a task so critical to their finals and top-four aspirations.
The 10-8 Swans travel to Geelong as one of the hottest teams in the competition, and a side which simply cannot afford to drop this game or any other.
Cats Media has identified three points of interest to follow throughout the match-up:
In case you missed it
Patrick Dangerfield has been suspended for one week and is now ineligible for the Brownlow Medal.
There. We said it.
It’s been the biggest news story of the week and arguably the biggest of the year in football terms. As such, there’s no new ground left to cover here.
What can’t be forgotten, however, is that even without Danger, the world keeps on turning. The Cats face one of their toughest tests tonight as they host the red-hot Swans in yet another match that will go far to shaping September.
Geelong has also lost speedster Nakia Cockatoo and chosen to bring in youngsters Zach Guthrie and Sam Simpson, who will no doubt play back and forward respectively. Yet there’s still a gaping hole in the midfield that needs to be filled.
We know the skipper Joel Selwood – as ludicrous as it seems given the player he is – will lift in the absence of his right-hand man. Mitch Duncan too will continue performing as the elite midfielder he has emerged as in 2017. But if the Cats are to win this one, it must be through committee rather than two individuals. Oh the irony.
And so we’re looking at names like Sam Menegola (avg. 23.5 disposals per game), Cameron Guthrie (18.3 disposals per game) and Scott Selwood (17.3 disposals per game) who will need to do more. Even Jordan Murdoch (17.5 disposals per game) simply must fire – a player whose speed and power senior coach Chris Scott spoke of this week is exactly what the Cats will be missing without the no.35.
It’s time to see exactly what the Cats have got.
A big game from Sam Menegola & co in the absence of Dangerfield will go a long way to securing at Cats' win. (Photos: AFL Photos)
That game
There are no happy memories for Geelong from the last time these two sides met – only ifs, buts and ‘coulda beens’.
To jog your own memory, the Swans raced out of the blocks in last year’s preliminary final with a seven-goal-to-none first quarter and the game, along with the Cats’ premierships hopes, was over.
It’s a completely different line-up for Geelong, with nine players running out tonight who were not a part of that 37-point loss – as senior coach Chris Scott pointed out this week – and the Cats will feel any scarring from that defeat will not come into play here.
The easiest way to prove they’re over it? Win.
Wrap ‘em up
The Cats are the number one tackling side in the competition (avg. 74.2 per game) proving you become one become an elite midfield group by not only oozing class but by also rolling up the sleeves.
It’s the optimum blend at Geelong’s disposal, with Scott Selwood leading the charge (avg. 11 tackles per game), Dangerfield (who won’t play) next best followed by Sam Menegola (5.7 tackles per game) and both Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan (5.2. tackles per game).
The Swans have long held the reputation as a hard-nosed, contested ball-winning juggernaut and continue to be, averaging 147.6 contested possessions a game (fourth in the AFL). The Cats are right there with them in fifth at 147.4 per game, but hold the edge in tackles with Sydney ranking 12th at 67.3 per game.
On the confines of Simonds Stadium, expect this one to be fought in close and expect the bodies to be flying everywhere.
