The Cats return to Victoria and their home at Simonds Stadium having dropped a winnable game away to West Coast in Perth last week.

Now facing Fremantle, Cats Media has identified three points of interest to follow: 

Tails between the legs

Both the Cats and Dockers come into round 14 on the back of disappointing losses.

Fremantle was embarrassed to the tune of 57 points by a Lions outfit looking likely to claim this year’s wooden spoon, while Geelong seemed on top of the world having beaten the ladder-leading Crows in round 11, only to crash back down to earth with a poor showing against the Eagles last week.

Despite their seasons currently looking worlds apart, these two clubs have points to prove on Sunday afternoon.

The Hawk rises again

Tom Hawkins sat out through suspension against West Coast and there’s no question the Cats missed him.

Inclusion Rhys Stanley was able to boot three goals and match Hawkins’ average goals per game of 2.7, but the forward line simply didn’t function as well without the big no.26.

Geelong averages 102.8 points per game (3^rd in the AFL) yet last week only managed to put 70 points on the scoreboard, via just six individual goal kickers.

Overall, the presence of Hawkins inside 50 will make a difference for the Cats, but to hit the 100-point mark they’re going to need a more even spread than they found on their trip west.

Late scratchings

At the time of writing, Fremantle star Nat Fyfe has been withdrawn from the Dockers’ side and tall defender Lachie Henderson has been scratched for Geelong.

Their replacements are Cam Sutcliffe and Jackson Thurlow respectively, though whether either run out on Sunday is yet to be decided.

What is also unknown is the impact these losses in personnel will have on their sides. Admittedly down on the form which saw him win the 2015 Brownlow Medal, Nat Fyfe is still Fremantle’s captain and most valuable player – a significant loss if ever there was one. It’s now up to Lachie Neale, David Mundy, Connor Blakely and the rest of a midfield not renowned for its depth to fill the void in Fyfe’s absence.

As for Henderson, he is pivotal to the Cats’ defensive formula. Averaging five marks a game as a defender, Henderson is a superb reader of the ball in flight and a quality one-on-one back who takes a key scalp each week. Without him, we could see a shift to defence for back-turned-forward Harry Taylor, which would allow the Cats to continue working Rhys Stanley through attack and in the ruck despite the return of Tom Hawkins and Mark Blicavs.