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The reigning premiers will travel to Geelong on Sunday to take on the competition leaders in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the round.
The Cats will be relishing the chance to add another big scalp to their belts, while the Eagles have the opportunity to rebound from an unexpected loss to Port Adelaide last week.
West Coast’s record in Geelong is nothing short of woeful, having lost their past five matches in Cat territory by an average margin of ten goals. Their last win there came under John Worsfold in 2006 which, combined with a draw in 2003, are the only two occasions the Eagles haven’t lost in Geelong this century.
On the Game of Codes podcast, we asked Roar AFL Expert Ryan Buckland if Sunday’s clash could be considered the battle of the competition’s best midfields. Listen to the discussion in the player below to hear Buckland debate what it means to have the “best” midfield in the AFL – and why that won’t be the defining factor in this game.
Listen to the discussion:
Geelong’s star-studded midfield boasts the likes of Tim Kelly, Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan and Luke Dahlhaus, with support from players like Gary Ablett who can rotate around the ground. It’s mixed news on the injury front for the Cats, with Brandan Parfitt ruled out for the match while Charlie Constable and Zach Tuohy are set to return.
For the Eagles, there’s no shortage of talent among a midfield comprising Luke Shuey, Dom Sheed, Andrew Gaff, Elliot Yeo and Chris Masten, with electrifying forward Jack Petruccelle also able to play out of the centre. But the group will need to lift against the Cats after losing the contested possession count in every game so far in 2019.
West Coast will be without defender Tom Barrass, who suffered a stress-related foot injury against Port Adelaide.
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