Round 20 - 7:40PM, Saturday, August 9 @ Simonds Stadium
Geelong and Fremantle have developed a fierce and bitter rivalry over recent seasons. The finals defeat last year may have heightened the Cats’ dislike of the Dockers, but the adversarial nature of their relationship is born from a sustained period of high stakes contests. Geelong were hit with long term injuries to significant personnel early in the season and still managed to secure unconvincing victories.
It is no coincidence that last week the Cats played their most consistent match with close to a full list of players to choose from. Fremantle’s structure-based game style has also been tested by injuries to key players. Like the Cats, they have stayed in touch with the top teams without performing to their potential. With just four games to play until finals, both sides are running out of time to find their best form.
There are double chances and home finals still up for grabs and the two clubs may meet again before the season concludes. Heated competition is now the norm when the Dockers and Cats clash. With so much on the line on Saturday night, this growing rivalry could reach new levels.
KEY MATCH-UP
SHANE KERSTEN vs CHRIS MAYNE
Shane Kersten’s great strength is his ability to mark the football and he has seized the opportunity to play at the highest level with the same conviction. He pushed for selection from the moment he was drafted with pick 34 in 2011, but periodic injuries prevented him from playing for significant periods. Without sustained blocks of consistent performance he was unable to demand a place in the senior line up.
Kersten finished the VFL season strongly last year and was a chance to make his debut in the Qualifying Final against Fremantle in the absence of Tom Hawkins. Hawkins has overcome the back injury that plagued him last season but has been burdened with enormous responsibility and pressure as the sole key target in the Geelong forward line.
Since he made his debut in round14, Kersten has complimented the big Cat perfectly. He is a natural forward who leads up at the ball carrier, utilising his ability to take marks at full pace. He is also an extremely accurate goal kicker, an area the Cats have struggled all year, ranking 16th in the league. Kersten has played just six games of AFL football so expectations of the young forward should be realistic. If he can continue to improve and perform his role he makes the Cats attack less predictable, more potent and very difficult to contain.
Chris Mayne plays a similar role for the Dockers as a second marking target in the Fremantle forward line.
He has two main responsibilities; relieve the pressure on Mathew Pavlich and apply pressure on the opposition defence. Mayne is a footballer very much in the Ross Lyon mould, possessing a defensive focus and an insatiable thirst for tackling. Mayne had a career best season last year but, like most of his Fremantle teammates, has not delivered the ferocity and discipline that took the Dockers to the Grand Final.
In 2013 he contributed to the scoreboard, booting 37 goals and providing 24 goal assists, and set the standard for defensive pressure in the forward half. He ranked equal third in the AFL for tackles by a forward and was number one for tackles inside attacking 50. In 19 games this season Mayne has kicked just 10 goals and has never kicked more than one in a match. He achieved a perfect balance of attack and defence last year and while the drop off in his defensive acts has been less dramatic, his overall impact is not what it was.
Like Shane Kersten, Mayne has room for improvement and his impact at the business end of the season can drastically alter the overall potency of the Fremantle forward line.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Round 9 @ Patersons Stadium
GEELONG 9.10 (64)
FREMANTLE 13.18 (96)
There was great fanfare surrounding the match between Geelong and Fremantle, far surpassing the fiery history between the two club. The capacity crowd were eager to celebrate the 300 game milestone of their greatest ever player. They waited in anticipation for their champion Mathew Pavlich to kick a goal and they didn’t have to wait long. Within 30 seconds of the opening bounce Pavlich took a mark inside 50 and kicked the goal from deep in the pocket.
This kickstarted an onslaught from the home side, who scored five first-term goals without conceding a major. Geelong regrouped and were able to match the Dockers over the next three quarters but never posed a serious threat. Pavlich finished with three goals in his milestone match, as did small forward Hayden Ballantyne.
David Mundy was the best of the Fremantle midfield with 34 touches, while Geelong skipper Joel Selwood battled admirably to amass 35 disposals.
DID YOU KNOW?
Geelong achieved the best win/loss record over 200 games in the history of the AFL with their win over North Melbourne. The Cats have won 158 of their last 200 games for an overall winning percentage of 79.25. The previous record, of 156 wins, had been held by Collingwood since 1937.
No one has appreciated this level of sustained success more than defender Jared Rivers. He played 80 games in his last four years with the Demons and only won 20 of them. The victory over the Kangaroos was his 20th win in just 26 games with the Cats.
