Harry Taylor speaks to Cats TV on Opposition Breakdown about which defending Blue the Cats need to watch out for in Saturday night’s game against Carlton.

Although he’s small (79kg), Taylor’s statistics show that Carlton’s number six, Kade Simpson, has the speed and defensive skills to dominate the field.

“Kade Simpson is a really important player for the Carlton Football Club and (it will be a) really big job for us to make sure he doesn’t have an influence on this game,” Taylor said.  

According to Taylor, Simpson’s biggest threat is his ability to defend and sprint with the ball. He can make swift deliveries inside 50 look easy.

“He’s great at running and carrying the football, with 32 running bounces last season for Carlton, we ranked him number two at the club behind rebounding defender, Chris Yarran,” Taylor explained.

“He is also terrific at delivering the ball inside 50, he was ranked second at the club for kicks inside 50s for the season.”

After observing Simpson’s key areas of play, Taylor concludes how the Cats can restrict him from making his mark on Saturday night’s clash.

“So how do we stop Kade Simpson?” Taylor asks.

“In stoppage situations we need to make sure he can’t get outside 50 and get a free run and use the ball well going forward.”

“We also need to pressure him as much as we can when he has the ball and when he is kicking inside 50.”