Athletic Cats prepare to outrun Goldstein
Back-up ruckmen Mark Blicavs and Josh Walker feel well prepared to take on the Roos leading ruckman Todd Goldstein
Yet Blicavs and Walker, who will carry the rucking load for the Cats in their semi-final against the Kangaroos because Hamish McIntosh has been sidelined by knee soreness, have set themselves to run Goldstein ragged.
"He's an experienced, quality ruckman, so Mark and I might lose a little bit of size against him, but certainly our competitiveness (will be important)," Walker told AFL.com.au.
"Myself and Mark have done plenty of (rucking in the past), so it's nothing new to either of us and we'll take confidence out of that.
"We'll jump into him and just try to make it a bit of a hellish night for him.
"Certainly around the ground we think we can use our aerobic capacity and really make life difficult for him."
Geelong coach Chris Scott has no doubt that Blicavs and Walker can get the job done.
"We're really excited for those two," he said. "They offer different strengths to those that Hamish offers.
"They're both exceptional runners, and it's particularly exciting for Josh because he's been deprived of opportunities a little bit this year."
Walker shot to prominence by taking two towering marks in last weekend's qualifying final loss to Hawthorn.
He also slotted a nerveless set shot from 50m out, which levelled the scores after the half-time siren.
"I sort of went in with the mindset that I've got nothing to lose and to just go for it and be confident," Walker said.
"The coach has just encouraged me to go for my marks and back myself, and that's what I tried to do.
"Thankfully, I held onto a couple. And it gives me huge confidence to know that I can do it at the top level, and that's what I'll continue to try and do.
"I know it was a big occasion, being a final, but I didn't really try to think about that.
"Once you're out on the ground, you sort of focus in on your job, and that's what my job is to do: engage an opponent and go for my marks as much as I could, and that's all I was worried about."
Always an upbeat person around the club, Walker has played a role in keeping spirits high at the Cattery despite the disappointment of losing to Hawthorn.
"It stung for a few days, no doubt, and it probably still does," he said.
"But we've tried to move on, we have to move on. We've got another final this Friday night, so I think there's definitely a bit of a buzz around the place.
"We're still in the finals and we're still a big chance. We're certainly confident about this week, and we're trying to still have a bit of fun and make the place enjoyable."