The Cats have suffered consecutive defeats will look to bounce back against Essendon on Saturday night at the MCG, and Cats Media have identified four points of interest to follow through the game:
Snap the streak
After starting 2017 at 5-0 in what is widely regarded as one of the most even seasons in recent years, the Cats simply cannot afford to drop three games on the trot.
A loss to the Bombers on Saturday night will be the third consecutive week a side not expected to trouble Geelong have done exactly that, showing quite clearly form and expectations matter little.
"Our last two weeks suggest that we're a mediocre team that are currently scrapping and fighting for wins to try to be able to play in September,” Chris Scott told reporters following a 25-point reality check to the Suns last week.
Chalk it up to spin if you must, but after banking points and credibility across their first five matches, Scott is now right to call his side “mediocre”. We know what the Cats are at their best and they cannot afford to be anything less if they are to snap the streak against Essendon on Saturday night.
The Cats need to ensure their two losses do not extend to a three-game losing streak. (Photo: AFL Photos)
It ain’t luck of the Irish
Find a better football story this year than Mark O’Connor.
The Irishman has played just six games of football in his life. His seventh will be an AFL debut against Essendon on the MCG.
Selected as a category B rookie by the Cats last October, what O’Connor has achieved in just seven short months would be astonishing if not for his enormous work ethic.
It may be a shock to see the 20-year-old Gaelic star debut so soon, but there’s no question he is deserving and will acquit himself well on Saturday night.
Irishman Mark O'Connor will make his AFL debut on Saturday night. (Photo: Arj Giese)
Congratulations Pops
At the opposite end of the spectrum is veteran and former Cat James Kelly.
‘Pops’ will reach the 300-game milestone on Saturday night against the club he played 273 of those games for. A three-time premiership player and All-Australian with Geelong, Kelly is a fan favourite who will be rightly celebrated on Saturday night by both sides.
James Kelly played in three premierships and 273 games with Geelong. (Photo: AFL Photos)
History says…
We’ve already established form and expectations don’t always equal success, and neither does history.
Nonetheless, the Cats have only lost to Essendon twice since 2004. Of the 17 games played over that period, Geelong has won 15 of them, including the past six in a row.
That means there are a vast number of players in the Bombers’ selected side who have never beaten the Cats. Let’s hope it stays that way.
The Bombers have only beaten the Cats twice since 2004. (Photo: AFL Photos)
