Geelong’s VFL squad look primed to enter the home and away season full of confidence following an impressive display against the reigning back to back VFL premiers on Saturday. The Cats fell short by 7 points going down 16.8.(104) to 14.13.(97) against the might of the North Ballarat Roosters. The improved performance came on the back of a six goal haul from ‘new AFL rookie’ James Podsiadly.
Highlights included the strong showing of key playmakers Ryan Gamble (29 disposals) and Nathan Djerrkura (33 disposals), the emergence of Dawson Simpson (16 disposals, 16 hitouts) in the ruck and a number of pieces of ‘magic’ from Steven Motlop (22 disposals, 3 goals).
The performance is sure to give the VFL Cats hierarchy lots of confidence with only one practice match left to play before the season proper.
The game started in impressive fashion for the Cats with Adam Varcoe and Steven Motlop creating early head aches for the Roosters coaching staff with their slick ball movement and electrifying pace off half forward.
After having all the early momentum the Cats were unable to capitialise kicking two goals, three behinds to the Rooster’s six goals straight. 2009 Liston Trophy winner Myles Sewell (23 disposals) enjoyed a purple patch midway through the term, kicking two impressive goals in a five minute burst.
Signs that 2010 may be an exciting year for the Bendigo Bank Cats were evident in a impressive second quarter were the versatile forward line of big men Trent West and James Podsiadly combined with the excitement of Gamble, Motlop and Varcoe.
The Cats hit the front at the twenty minute mark of the second quarter through goals to Podsiadly (23 disposals, 13 marks, 6 goals, 6 behinds), Motlop and an inspiring Tommy Maas (14 disposals) chase and tackle in the forward line, which allowed Gamble to gather and casually put through the Cat’s sixth goal for the quarter and reduce the margin to thirteen points going into half time.
The contest got heated early in the second half as North Melbourne first round draft pick Ben Cunnington showed his willingness to take on the bigger bodies of VFL football, grappling with Taylor Hunt and the 206cm Dawson Simpson following a disputed ball on half forward.
Early in the third term the Rooster’s showed signs that they will once again be one of the teams to beat in 2010, with a blistering fifteen minute display which saw the margin blow out to 29 points with goals to key forward Aaron Edwards (14 possessions, 5 goals) and new Kangaroos recruit Aaron Black.
A contentious late umpiring decision against James Podsiadly seemed to motivate the power forward as he went on to kick two important late goals to keep the VFL Cats within reach of the Roosters going into the last quarter.
With the margin under 2 goals for the majority of the final quarter, it was hard to tell whether in fact this was a practice fixture or the real deal.
A small but vocal crowd of around 400 were treated to a couple of pieces of brilliance from Steven Motlop - first he ducked and weaved his way through three Roosters players on centre wing as he ran down the ground and then moments later he gave his brother (Port Adelaide’s Daniel) a new trick to work on with a miraculous soccer goal.
In the end, goals to Podsiadly and Firman were not enough to overcome the powerful Rooster outfit, with the Bendigo Ban Cats going down by 7 points.
A 29 possession and two goal from Ryan Gamble will give the AFL selection panel something to think about. When asked about his prospects of a call up Gamble stated, “I would love to get a promotion to the seniors for sure, but at the moment I am just concentrating on playing good footy” he said.
A minor ankle injury suffered against Collingwood two weeks ago is no longer a concern for Gamble and he is feeling really despite an interrupted pre-season, “The body is feeling great, and my feet are heaps better, so I am pretty happy with where I am at this stage of the year”.
Coach Dale Amos could not have been happier with the form of some of his stars; “I thought Motlop was outstanding, he is really starting to look like an AFL player”. He played really well in the last AFL practice match and he continued that today. I think he was really influential in the last quarter”
Amos was also very positive about playing against such strong opposition this early in the season, “We where pleased we got to play against good opposition, with some good AFL listed players. It gives you a better indication of where you are at I think”.
The Bendigo Bank Cats return to Victoria Park next Saturday to take on the Collingwood VFL in the final VFL practice match before the season opener against the Casey Scorpions.
North Ballarat Roosters 16-8-(104)
Bendigo Bank Cats 14-13-(97)
Goals: Podsiadly 6, Motlop 3, Firman, Gamble 2, Kennedy 1
Best: Podsiadly, Gamble, Motlop, Djerrkura, Drum, Firman.
Injuries: Boyd (knee)
