Round 8, MCG, Saturday 18th May

Geelong Cats  defeated by  Collingwood Magpies
14 - 12 - 96 15 - 12 - 102                          

2 Billie Smedts injured his ankle in the first quarter and, despite his efforts to play on, he had to be subbed out of the game for Josh Hunt half way through the second term. Smedts had 3 kicks and 2 tackles but the ankle injury prevented him from having much of an influence on the match.
SC: 10
DT: 19

3 Jimmy Bartel was one of Geelong’s best performers, playing in every position on the ground at some point in the game. Starting the match as a defensive utility, he had 18 kicks, 5 handballs and 8 marks. Bartel lead the Cats with 5 tackles and added 2 goals to complete an excellent all-round performance.
SC: 112
DT: 119

4 Andrew Mackie was a top contributor for the Cats, collecting 28 disposals. His defensive efforts were exemplary, accounting for his direct opponent and supporting Tom Lonergan to minimise the impact of Collingwood’s Travis Cloke. Mackie was Geelong’s most damaging defender with ball in hand, sending the Cats inside 50 on 8 occasions and providing 1 goal assist. A goal on the run from the edge of the centre square best displayed Mackie’s elite kicking ability.
SC: 105
DT: 108

7 Harry Taylor had the better of Quentin Lynch, his direct opponent for much of the night. Taylor had 15 kicks and 6 handballs, regular numbers for the All-Australian but a superb output from a key defender. Showing elite aerial ability, Taylor took 6 marks and provided great transition out of defence with 6 rebound 50s.
SC: 95
DT: 76

8 Josh Hunt was a welcome addition to the Geelong line up, providing much needed experience following the suspension of James Kelly and late withdrawal of Steve Johnson. Returning from injury for his first game of the year, Hunt was substituted on for Billie Smedts and gathered 10 disposals.
SC: 43
DT: 38

11 Joel Corey played his best game for the season, returning to the midfield to fill the void left by James Kelly and late omission Steve Johnson. Corey took 9 marks and won 14 contested possessions from his total of 30. The Geelong veteran lead the Cats with 5 centre clearances, plus 2 more around the ground, displaying the strength and skill in congestion that earned him multiple All-Australian and Best and Fairest honours.
SC: 96
DT: 111

12 Trent West performed well against veteran Darren Jolly, matching the Magpie ruckman with 25 hit-outs and running off him to support Geelong’s tall defenders. West’s willingness to follow up his aerial work was most impressive, collecting 8 of his 9 disposals in a contest and winning 5 clearances. Grabbing the ball out of the ruck and throwing it on the boot, West showed great game awareness to kick the Cats first goal.
SC: 76
DT: 65

13 Tom Lonergan did an excellent job on Collingwood key forward Travis Cloke, gathering 7 disposals and taking 3 marks. Lonergan has been able to creep forward and kick goals in previous weeks but had his hands full with Cloke. Lonergan did not give his opponent an inch and limited Cloke, the AFLs best contested mark, to just 2 marks inside 50 and 1 goal.
SC: 36
DT: 23

14 Joel Selwood was unflinching around the contests and fought hard under immense Collingwood pressure. Magpie Brent Macaffer had a tight tagging role and kept Selwood relatively quiet for the first two quarters. Winning 12 contested possessions and 4 clearances, the Cats skipper willed himself and the team back into the match. Selwood’s work in congestion lead a big swing in momentum and an 8 goal third quarter.
SC: 83
DT: 101

15 Jordan Schroder put in a strong 4 quarter performance against Collingwood after starting as a substitute last week. In just his 3rd AFl game, Schroder had 11 disposals and 3 goal assists, displaying great composure and clean ball handling under manic magpie pressure. Of the 5 marks Schroder took, a specky in the first quarter was a highlight.
SC: 58
DT: 54

22 Mitch Duncan had to fight for every one of his 18 possessions. Without Kelly and Johnson, Duncan spent more time in and around the stoppages against the bigger bodied and experienced Collingwood midfield. Duncan worked hard to spread from the contests when Geelong won the ball, his efforts resulting in 7 marks for the game.
SC: 53
DT: 76

23 Josh Caddy returned to Geelong’s senior side following the late withdrawal of Steve Johnson. Caddy spent time deep in defence early in the match and had brief runs through the midfield, winning 2 clearances. He looked most comfortable and was most effective, however, as part of the Cat’s forward line, finishing the game 13 possessions.
SC: 55
DT: 50

26 Tom Hawkins looked to be much more mobile and, as a result, was much more dangerous than in previous weeks. Hawkins presented further up the ground, taking 7 marks and gathering 11 disposals. The big Cat took 3 of his marks inside forward 50 and was Geelong’s leading scorer with 4 goals.
SC: 79
DT: 78

27 Mathew Stokes had 20 possessions in a first half dominated by the Magpies and finished the match with 31. He thrived under intense opposition pressure, winning 14 of his disposals in a contest and laying 4 tackles. Stokes’ 5 inside 50s and 4 rebound 50s reflect his willingness to work and influence the game at both ends of the ground.
SC: 115
DT: 99

28 Allen Christensen was quiet in the first half but was a key component of Geelong’s resurgence in the third term. Playing through the midfield Christensen had 11 disposals and laid 4 tackles. It was closer to goal that he was most dangerous, contributing 3 goal assists and kicking 2 goals in a minute to set the Cats alight after half time.
SC: 67
DT: 76

29 Cameron Guthrie has just 24 games experience at senior level but played with the composure of a veteran defender. He took 4 marks and collected 11 possessions, displaying strength and clean hands under great physical pressure. Guthrie stymied multiple Magpie attacks and cleared the ball out of Geelong’s defensive 50 on 3 occassions.
SC: 66
DT: 50

31 James Podsiadly was influential at both ends of the ground, 3 times rebounding out of defensive 50 and sending the ball into Geelong’s forward 50 twice. Podsiadly had 16 possessions and took 9 marks, 4 of them contested and 4 inside 50. Having spent a significant portion of the first half as a defender, Pods kicked the goal the drew the Cats level in the third term and added a second goal in the final minute of the quarter.
SC: 92
DT: 88

32 Steven Motlop gathered 17 disposals against Collingwood, 11 kicks and 6 handballs. He used his speed with great effect, hassling and pressuring his opponents and laying 4 tackles. Motlop kicked 2 goals; the first to keep the Cats within reach of the strong starting Mapies before quarter time, followed by a sensational snap to put Geelong in front in the third term.
SC: 72
DT: 79

33 George Horlin-Smith was unrelenting in his effort and battled hard against a seasoned Magpie outfit. He had 15 disposals at 87% efficiency playing through the midfield. Horlin-Smith applied great defensive pressure with 4 tackles and the young on-baller had the task of tagging Collingwood champions Scott Pendlebury and Dane Swan at different stages of the match.
SC: 54
DT: 51

40 Jackson Thurlow followed up his impressive debut in round 7 with another fine performance. Thurlow collected 16 disposals, with 8 of them won in a contest and 14 finding a team mate. Playing predominantly at half back, the young Tasmanian had 2 goal assists and 5 times sent Geelong inside 50.
SC: 85
DT: 55

44 Corey Enright was a pillar of strength in the Geelong back line, leading the Cats with 12 marks and helping the team withstand a wave of Collingwood forward entries early in the match. For much of the match both teams fielded an extra defender, allowing Enright to play periods without a direct opponent and collect 24 possessions. His disposal was first class and, with 5 rebound 50s, Enright provided great transition from defence into attack.
SC: 184
DT: 99

46 Mark Blicavs is yet to miss a game in his first year on the senior list. He continues to perform on the big stage, winning 10 hit-outs and 7 disposals against Collingwood at the MCG. The defensive efforts of young Blicavs were equally impressive, laying 4 tackles and constantly following up his ruck work.
SC: 45
DT: 49