Journalists, Adam McNicol and Scott Gullan, caught up with Cats TV to discuss this week’s key matchups between the Cats and the Hawks, before they come head-to-head Friday night.

With Paul Chapman missing from the pack the Cats will have to decide who’s the best candidate to take his key position up front.
The two young Cats that continue to be named this week are Josh Caddy and Jordan Murdoch.

“I think AFL and VFL form suggest that either Caddy has to come back in if his ankles right or Murdoch, who has kept pressing his case and kicked three goals against the Hawks in the final quarter last time,” McNicol said.

Gullan says Caddy deserves to be selected, however he believes Chapman’s role will be given to Murdoch.

“I got the impression the other day from Chris Scott that Murdoch is right there and Josh Caddy would be unlucky, he’s played a great second half of the year but got injured at the wrong time... I’m going for Murdoch.”

Hawthorn defenders, Josh Gibson and Brian Lake, have the intensity to threaten the Cats if James Podsiadly and Tom Hawkins let them.

“Podsy is the ultimate structure player these days, he has to make that defender like Gibson accountable by getting the ball and kicking a couple of goals, and if he doesn’t, Gibson just becomes an attacking force,” Adam McNicol.

Over the past 11 games the Cats large forwards have continued to mitigate the Hawks defence pressure, however, Gullan says this time the task will be a lot more grinding, especially for Hawkins.  

“Tom has had amazing record him and Podsiadly just eat Hawthorn,” Gullan said.

“Lake is a different equation, if Lake is on his game he’s unbeatable, if he’s off he can do things that are just unbelievably bad, which Brian Lake turns up is going to be crucial but it’s going to be a harder than normal match up for Tom Hawkins.”

To watch the complete episode of Argue the Toss please click on the video above.