After losing spectacularly to the Tigers in Round 5 at Punt Road, the Cats looked determined to even the record on home turf, ferociously attacking each contest and displaying the hunger that was lacking in last week’s performance against Footscray.
Mitch Brown was impressive in his forward role early in the match who, with the help of midfielder-turned-forward Jackson Thurlow and VFL stalwart Jackson Hollmer allowed Geelong a game-high 20-point lead as the siren sounded on the first half. VFL Coach Matthew Knights was pleased with the team effort at half time, pressing the boys to sustain the urgency necessary to win each contest and claim the overall victory.
However the intensity soon petered out as the notorious ‘premiership quarter’ began. Though Geelong had clearly maintained control for much of the match due to the defensive pressure evident in backline and through the midfield, the third term saw the Richmond juggernaut begin to chip away at the subtle flaws in the Cat’s game play. Their greater utilisation of space across the ground allowed them to make the most of their plethora of available options as the young Cats seemed to tire, while Geelong’s continual play down the line began to prove costly as Richmond took their opportunities at the contest.
The final quarter saw Geelong make a string of fundamental mistakes as Richmond surged to take the lead. The forward combination of Liam McBean and Ben Griffiths became dangerous, pulling a 5-goal haul between them and dominating first year recruit Jake Kolodjashnij and novice backman Josh Walker who struggled with an injury late in the game.
As the final tense moments played out in Geelong’s forward 50, a crucial defensive mark from Matthew Dea was the figurative nail in the coffin as the siren sounded on a shattering 4 point loss.
A clearly frustrated Knights, a notable believer in doing the basics well, highlighted the fundamental skill errors that flawed an otherwise positive effort.
‘It was disappointing. We have young players in the team, but we just made fundamental, crucial mistakes that hurt the end result. Whether it be laziness in tackling techniques, free kicks against or sloppy disposal, we’ve just had a propensity this year when we’ve had teams at times where we want them, but we just don’t finish them off.’
Missed opportunities dominated the last half of the match as Geelong failed to effectively utilise their chances, winning the inside 50 count 44 to 35, but clearly losing the crucial score conversion percentage 48% to Richmond’s 74%.
‘It’s very frustrating for all concerned. Tonight was another example where Richmond just took their opportunities a bit better than us and were a bit more advanced in the basics and fundamentals of the game.’ Knights said.
‘Whether it be winning the contest, disposal, or just intelligence in tackle or more measured play, it’s extremely frustrating considering you do a lot of things right to give yourself a chance to win the game. So to go down by that margin is never pleasant, but all the players were really feeling it because there was a game there to be won.’
Knights was also quick to point out to the team that the broader scope of the issue for many of the AFL listed players was consistency in effort, an essential trait for their career success.
A plague of injuries also took their toll on both individual performances and quality rotations, as clutch players attempted to see out the match after receiving heavy knocks.
‘Dawson got a knock in the back early and we thought he might be in strife, but thankfully he got worked on and played out the rest of the game really manfully.
‘Walker was limping pretty heavily late in the game, which was unfortunate as he was going quite well as a defender on Griffiths in the first part of the game. But nothing too serious overall.’
Returning midfielder Jed Bews managed a best on ground performance despite copping a heavy corky early in the match, accumulating 15 disposals and 7 marks to provide vital assistance through the middle.
‘I thought Bewsy showed his class tonight on a difficult opponent in Aaron Edwards. I thought his reading of the play, his proactive defence and his use of the ball was excellent. It was obviously a bit stiff for him to be left out of the AFL team which was not due to a lack in performance, so I was really pleased with Bewsy tonight.’
With hopes of a top eight finish dwindling, Knights maintains belief that the ability for success lies within the team as it currently stands.
‘The real tight games we’ve had, the Werribee game and now this game have certainly made it very difficult. We’re going to have to scramble pretty well from here on in. But we’re capable and there’s enough games still in the season to make up that ground, but we wouldn’t want to leave it too much later than we are now.’
The potential to claw back some of that ground now lies in the Cats’ upcoming matches against the 8th placed Sandringham next week at Trevor Barker Oval on Sunday, followed by the 15th placed Frankston Dolphins after the Bye. Be sure to get down and show your support to our developing players as they strive to cement a place in the finals!
VFL - Richmond Tigers 13-12-(90) def. Bendigo Bank Cats 13-8-(86).
Goals: Lang, Thurlow, Hollmer 2, Maas, Brown, Gleeson, Schroder, Jansen, Sheringham, Stringer.
Best: Bews, Thurlow, Brown, Sheringham, Smedts, Maas.
Injuries: Simpson (back spasms), Walker (corked calf) @ Simonds Stadium.
