Geelong recorded a heart-breaking two-point Round 7 loss to Sydney at the SCG on Saturday night.
The Cats led for large parts of the game but fell just short of recording a memorable victory.
We've broken down the stats that matter in this week’s edition of ‘By The Numbers’ presented by Deakin’s Centre for Sport Research.
Cats Produce Best First Quarter…
Geelong got off to a red-hot start against the Swans piling on six goals to two in the opening quarter to produce their best opening term of the season. In fact, their 6.5 (41) performance was the best first quarter by any team this season.
Mitch Duncan and Tom Stewart won 12 disposals apiece while it was Jeremy Cameron who did the damage in attack with two majors.
The Cats simply dominated all the key numbers.
Disposals: +64
Uncontested possessions: +57
Contested possessions: +17
Marks: +29
Inside 50s: +13
Clearances: +5
It is the first time that Geelong has kicked six goals in a first term under Chris Scott and not gone on to secure the victory.
Efficient Swans Make Cats Pay…
On a night where Geelong did a lot right with a dominant showing in disposals (404 to 324) and inside 50s (65 to 39) it was the Swans who were more efficient in front of goal that proved the difference.
The Cats finished with an inaccurate 12.16 which included 2.6 in the final term. Meanwhile the Swans were deadly when it mattered kicking four goals straight in the final term to snatch the victory and finish with 14.6 for the game.
Skipper Sets New Record...
Joel Selwood added another title to his long list of accolades surpassing former Eagle Matt Priddis as the player with the most recorded tackles in the history of the game.
Selwood’s seven tackles against the Swans took his career tally to 1633. He has averaged more than five tackles in his 317 games.
Guthrie Ageing Like a Fine Wine...
Just like a fine wine, Cam Guthrie is continuing to get better with age.
Last year’s Carji Greeves Medallist was outstanding in the middle for the Cats with a game-high 30 disposals (77% efficiency), career-high 10 inside 50s, nine clearances and seven score involvements.
Guthrie is averaging 30 disposals and six clearances per game in 2021, is ranked top five in the competition for stoppage clearances and effective disposals, and is on track to better his best and fairest season.
Women Continue Winning Ways…
Finally, a special shout out to our VFLW team after they recorded their highest ever score and largest win with an 85-point win against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
The Cats won 15.9 (99) to 2.2 (14).
Banged on about this a bit during the AFLW season - given their young list, the Cats probably lost out the most when the 2020 VFLW season was cancelled. Good to see they’re building some momentum. https://t.co/ePaSFDBqSr
— Sarah Black (@_sjblack) May 1, 2021
After a challenging AFLW campaign it is great to see the club’s youthful VFLW team continue their impressive VFLW season with a fifth straight win. Taking their record to 7-2.
Their next challenge is against Essendon at Deakin University on Saturday at 1pm.
