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A great game and an intense last quarter, but the Geelong Cats were able to hold on by 2 points against the Fremantle Dockers at Simonds Stadium.
The Cats did a great job to lead by 24 points at the final break and looked to have the game in the bag.
However, a massive last quarter by Fremantle saw them kick 4 goals 7 behind to the Cats 1 goal 3 behinds.
Michael Barlow was huge in the last quarter, he had 10 possessions in the first 15 minutes of the quarter and finished the game with 33 disposals; he was terrific along with Mundy (27) and Fyfe (25 disposals).
Full credit to Dockers debutant Max Duffy who came on as sub in the third quarter and gave the Dockers forward line a much needed boost.
The Cats hung on but no one can deny it was a much deserved win. Captain Joel Selwood was immense, his tackling was fierce and finished with 27 disposals.
Harry Taylor was superb all night, reading the play with ease. Full credit to Christensen and Mitch Duncan who both lifted in the second half, especially Duncan in that last quarter.
Mackie, Enright and Kelly were terrific in defence and Jared Rivers played one of his better games for the Cats.
FINAL SCORE:
Geelong 12.9 (81)
Fremantle 11.13 (79)
Recent bitter rivals clash in arguably the match of the round when the Geelong Cats host the Fremantle Dockers at Simonds Stadium on Saturday night. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:40pm (AEST).
A place in the top four and more importantly the top two is at stake as the Dockers return to the scene of one of their greatest victories when they upset the Cats in the first final at Simonds Stadium last season. The Dockers have won four of their past five against the Cats including two finals.
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Recent incidents involving Docker protagonists Ryan Crowley and Hayden Ballantyne seem to have got under Geelong’s skin and raised the atmosphere whenever these sides clash. Crowley in particular did a great job in last year’s final.
After a first quarter in which Johnson had dominated with 12 possessions, Dockers coach Ross Lyon moved Crowley onto Johnson and restricted him to a further eight possessions for the remainder of the game, as the Dockers turned a 13-point deficit into a shock 15-point win.
Fremantle also had the better of the Cats in their Round 9 32-point win earlier this year. The win triggered an eight game winning streak for the Dockers. But the last two weeks the Dockers form has been worrying. They copped a 58-point hammering from bottom side St Kilda two weeks ago in the upset of the season. Last week the Dockers fell in at home against Carlton, inspired by a brilliant last quarter by Dockers star midfielder Nathan Fyfe.
There are other worrying signs for the Dockers, with captain Matthew Pavlich is recovering from a second head knock in as many weeks. Whilst he has been selected there must be some doubt about his fitness for this game. Together with key small forward Michael Walters having missed most of the season and David Mundy not his usual best, the Dockers could struggle against the Cats tight defence.
The Dockers must also be concerned with their recent kicking efficiency with several players guilty of spraying kicks all over the ground. Danyle Pearce has been one of the worst offenders with Zac Dawson, Lee Spurr and Cameron Sutcliffe not far behind.
For the Cats to take advantage they need to improve their clearances where surprisingly they rank 17th in the league. This is even more important against the Dockers who have beaten the Cats resoundingly in the midfield in recent wins. In particular they have beaten the Cats in stoppages, and that is where many of their goals have come from.
The lack of clearances has resulted in Geelong having to bomb the ball into their forward line where the Dockers have been able to push players back and sweep away with ease, particularly with defenders Michael Johnson and Paul Duffield who are skilled in intercept marks.
Geelong need to win the clearances and move the ball quickly into their forward line, before the Dockers have time to flood back. This way Cats monster forward Tom Hawkins can be one out with either Zac Dawson or Luke McPharlin. Both defenders have struggled recently and McPharlin doesn’t appear to be fully fit.
Of course this will all depend whether Geelong can nullify the impact of giant Dockers ruckman Aaron Sandilands. Cats ruckman Hamish McIntosh will have a big job to do. Although the Dockers last week outscored the Blues a staggering 75-23 in hitouts, the Blues still won the clearances 39-38.
Prediction:
The Dockers and the Swans are the only teams to have beaten the Cats at Simonds Stadium since 2007. However with Pavlich sure to be suffering some effects from successive head knocks and the absence of the versatile Tendai Mzungu, combined with the Dockers recent lethargic form seems to suggest this could be as good a time as any for the Cats to seek revenge for last year’s finals loss.
The Cats look more dangerous with speedsters Christensen and Stokes on board, and in front of their home fans in what’s sure to be a fever pitch atmosphere, the Cats look ready to consolidate their top four spot.
Cats by 30 points.
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