The rapid midfielder, Motlop, spoke to SEN Radio about the Cats admirable turn-around after halftime, where they left for the rooms three goals down.
“We came into half time knowing that we had to fix a few things and Joel Selwood came out and just led the way and he really sparked us,” Motlop said.
Going into the third quarter the Cats knew they had to make a critical change to their game and increase the pressure.
“We came in three goals down and we knew we were playing pretty bad at the time and they were spreading away and using the ball really well,” Motlop explained.
“You know with Hawthorn they are such a good side at using the ball and we just wanted to stop that and put a bit more pressure on the game.”
Motlop felt the frontline started to execute their roles well against the Hawks defense and worked closely together in keeping the ball forward.
“Our small forwards wanted to put pressure on their guys down back and just play the game in our half.”
Whilst Varcoe only had 13 touches his performance was outstanding, causing havoc for the Hawks with every grab he made.
“I think that’s like any small forward when they get the chance they really light it up and he is one of those guys,” Motlop said.
“He doesn’t have many touches but when he does he does good things with the ball.”
Paul Chapman doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere. He played like a true veteran and knew exactly when to turn it on.
“The older guys know when to step up when we’re down, and Chappy’s been a bit of a show pony this year, he’s even gone with the white boots,” Motlop joked.
“I think he just wanted to change it up this year but he suits it.”
Together, Motlop, Christensen, Stokes and Varcoe, add an exciting dimension to the Cats midfield by injecting speed and energy into the game. The tight bond between the players is only increasing in pace and Motlop ensures that the club has a swag of younger guys to follow.
“Yeah, I think all the quick guys have a pretty strong bond and use each other,” Motlop said.
“We got labeled on being slow and too old a couple of years ago and I didn’t agree with that, we’ve had a lot of younger guys coming through that are very quick and can take the game on.”
“I think it is just exciting and there are a lot of spots up for grabs and we’ve got a lot of other young guys coming up too.”
The Cats didn’t let their defeat in the first half get the better of them. Instead the team kept composed and focused on the areas of the game that needed to improve.
“To be honest we weren’t really panicking at all, we knew we weren’t playing our best footy, like I said, we just wanted to come out after half time and put the pressure on them,” Motlop said.
“They had a few more entries than us and we just wanted to get it in a bit deeper and give ourselves a chance.”
Geelong’s skipper, Joel Selwood, was frustrated with the way things were going but he continued to raise the level of play finishing with 33 disposals and one goal.
“He was a little bit angry… but he just takes the game by his hands and leads the way, he is an inspiration to all of us.”
