How the Cats rated?
Check out how each Cat performed on Friday night against Port Adelaide at the MCG before they kick off against the Hawks
3 JIMMY BARTEL played an excellent qualifying final and delivered another strong performance on Friday night with 21 disposals. He spent most of the first half in defence, but started in the attacking goal square at the start of the third term in a strategic effort to disrupt the flow of the match. Bartel kicked a clutch goal on the run during that term and had a big impact at the stoppages throughout the half. He won three clearances for the match and imposed himself physically with six tackles.
DT: 104
SC: 117
4 ANDREW MACKIE played as a loose defender and was pivotal in the first half, one of few Cats to make a consistent contribution. He took seven makes, regularly intercepting forward entries, and his long kick provided great drive out of half back. Mackie was less influential after half time, but he stood up when momentum was with Port Adelaide and finished the match with 18 disposals.
DT: 82
SC: 60
5 TRAVIS VARCOE tallied 20 disposals, the same total he accumulated last week against the Dockers. He has built a strong fitness base since returning to the senior side and, as a result, has been able to maintain regular involvement in the play. Varcoe's disposal was sloppy at times but he displayed a willingness to follow up each contest with second and third efforts. He will become cleaner with possession as his confidence grows and his pace was important in the second half.
DT: 76
SC: 79
7 HARRY TAYLOR was hardly used as a forward target, collecting 12 disposals predominantly in defence. He was characteristically composed in the back half, disposing effectively almost 85% of the time. Taylor took five marks and committed seven defensive acts, including three smothers off the boot of an opponent.
DT: 53
SC: 72
8 JOSH HUNT played his first AFL game for five weeks, replacing injured defender Corey Enright. Despite giving away a couple of free kicks inside defensive 50, he was a solid contributor to the back six, playing on both small and tall opponents at different stages of the match. Hunt took five marks and his left foot was typically reliable, tallying 13 possessions with 77% efficiency.
DT: 42
SC: 50
9 JAMES KELLY was one of the best on the ground for Geelong, collecting 28 disposals. He thrives in a contest and is well suited to finals footy, keeping Geelong in the game with 16 first half possessions. Kelly lead the team with seven tackles and was difficult to curtail, regularly eluding opponents and able to free his arms when tackled to dispose effectively.
DT: 113
SC: 117
11 JOEL COREY is an experienced finals campaigner and it showed in Friday night. He maintained his composure when the Power gained ascendancy and imposed himself physically, winning four clearances. Corey collected 21 disposals, predominantly in the forward half of the ground. He provided three goal assists, had seven inside 50s and, benefitting from a controversial free kick in the goal square, kicked a goal in the first minute of the final term.
DT: 69
SC: 96
13 TOM LONERGAN played an important role on Port Adelaide key forward Jay Shultz. Shultz kicked two goals, one of which came from a fortunate free, but was dominated by Lonergan in the air and managed just two marks. Lonergan had four marks, nine defensive acts and gathered 13 possessions.
DT: 56
SC: 71
14 JOEL SELWOOD justified his selection as captain of the year by the AFL Players Association, leading his team with class and courage on Friday night. He had 27 possessions for the match and dominated the stoppages, winning a game high six clearances, four of which came at centre bounces. Selwood had his head bandaged at the midway point of the first term, an all too familiar sight, and was forced from the ground for a second time under the blood rule later in the match. The battle scars reflected his ferocious attack when the ball was in dispute, making five tackles and winning 15 of his disposals in a contest.
DT: 99
SC: 129
19 TAYLOR HUNT was a late omission from the side that played Fremantle and came into the team as the substitute for Friday's semi final. He was activated in the opening minutes of the final quarter, replacing defender Jared Rivers. Hunt gathered five disposals, all of them kicks, and executed with 100% effectiveness.
DT: 30
SC: 21
20 STEVE JOHNSON was clamped down for three quarters in the qualifying final and was again shadowed by an opponent on Friday night, this time tagged by Port Adelaide's Dom Cassisi. Johnson started the game well but was one of many Cats to drop his in intensity in the second term. He delivered his best after half time, finishing the match with 25 disposals. His willingness to outrun his opponent helped break Cassisi's hold and allowed Johnson to find space and take nine marks.
DT: 100
SC: 111
22 MITH DUNCAN has greatly improved his impact and consistency this season on the back of greater fitness and work ethic. He was able to take six marks and collect 15 of his 19 disposals uncontested by continually running the length of the ground to find space. Duncan kicked Geelong's only goal in the second quarter from a set shot beyond 50, ending a run of four unanswered Port Adelaide goals.
DT: 85
SC: 79
25 JARED RIVERS started the match very well, taking an intercept pack mark and winning a couple of crucial contests on the last line of defence. After quarter time he struggled to make an impact and stem the flow of Port Adelaide goals in the second term. Rivers tallied six possessions, five of which were contested, before he was subbed out of the match for Taylor Hunt early in the final quarter.
DT: 30
SC: 38
26 TOM HAWKINS had a disappointing start to the game, tallying just two disposals in the first two quarters. After missing the first final and having little impact in the first half, he returned from the major break with real purpose and intensity. He took a mark on the lead and scored a goal in the first minute of the third quarter, kick starting a Geelong revival that eliminated the half time deficit with 15 minutes of brilliant football. Hawkins added a second goal in the third term and finished the match with eight disposals.
DT: 54
SC: 62
27 MATHEW STOKES responded emphatically after an ineffective first half. 2013 has been a career best year for Stokes and he delivered his very best form in the third quarter, tallying 14 disposals in 30 minutes of football. His improvement helped influence the Cats' comeback and he finished the game with 28 touches, four clearance and four inside 50s.
DT: 82
SC: 116
28 ALLEN CHRISTENSEN had 24 disposals playing in the midfield. He did his best work forward of centre, sending the Cats inside attacking 50 on five occasions and kicking an excellent goal on the run from 50 metres out in the final quarter. Christensen usually does his best working in congestion, but he was able to find space on Friday night and accumulate 16 uncontested possessions.
DT: 92
SC: 99
29 CAMERON GUTHRIE played his second final on Friday night and for the second successive week he delivered and excellent performance in defence. He tallied 12 possessions and provided excellent rebound out of back half, disposing with 83.3% efficiency. Guthrie displayed enormous composure deep in defence, able to use his pace and agility to avoid opponents and give himself time to find the best option further up the field.
DT: 54
SC: 58
30 NATHAN VARDY rebounded well from a disappointing match against the Dockers. He won 17 hit outs and kept involved in the play once the ball hit the ground, making four tackles and winning one centre clearance. Vardy took five marks, winning crucial aerial contests in the final term to hold off the late surge from Port Adelaide.
DT: 74
SC: 78
31 JAMES PODSIADLY appeared more certain of his role with the inclusion of Tom Hawkins in the side. Geelong's delivery into the forward line was poor in the first half, regularly bombing the ball long to a target outnumbered by Power defenders. As a result Podsiadly struggled to get his hands on the footy early. He found more space in the second half and finished the match with four inside 50s from his five disposals.
DT: 20
SC: 13
32 STEVEN MOTLOP played a very good game, collecting 25 disposals in the midfield and across half forward. He was regularly able to weave his way through the corridor, taking nine running bounces and dodging would-be tacklers. He sent the Cats inside 50 nine times and kicked two goals. The first put Geelong ahead in the final minute of the third term and the second, a long range effort from a tight angle, put the result beyond doubt late in the game.
DT: 95
SC: 117
35 PAUL CHAPMAN will have a nervous wait for the match review panel to issue their findings after he was reported for a bump on Robbie Gray in the third quarter. His selection was in doubt in the lead up to finals, but Chapman was Geelong's best player on Friday night so suspension will be the only thing preventing his selection in next Friday's preliminary Final. He had 20 disposals, six tackles, five inside 50s and kicked four goals, the fourth time Chapman has kicked four or more goals in a final.
DT: 113
SC: 136
46 MARK BLICAVS was a valuable contributor to the Cats win with 11 hit outs and eight possessions. He made the most of his opportunities with ball in hand, disposing with 87.5% efficiency. Port Adelaide were able to effectively switch the play from half back and break open Geelong's defence. Blicavs ability to cover the ground and chase down opponents helped counter this strategy and pressure the Power, even when they had momentum.
DT: 46
SC: 60