As the Cats prepare to face the Crows at Richmond Oval on Sunday afternoon, we look at the five looming storylines of Geelong’s second JLT Community Series fixture.
Joel’s back
After missing the entire 2016 preseason competition, bar a VFL hitout the week before round one, Joel Selwood has been a dominant presence on the preseason training track.
He'll get his first chance this weekend to the lead the side out to take on the Crows and after a stellar 2016 season we look forward to him showing what he can do again on the field.
No Harry, now what?
Featuring Eddie Betts, Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch and Josh Jenkins, the Crows were said to possess “the most dynamic forward line in football” through 2016. Yet across their meetings in the home and away season last year, the Cats largely blanketed Adelaide’s goal kickers and came away with two wins.
Yes it’s the pre-season competition, but will Geelong be able to do it again? If so, they’ll need to do it without their defensive general Harry Taylor, who has been swung forward. What impact will this have on a relatively new-look backline?
There’s only one way to find out.
Ready for Eddie?
Speaking of Eddie Betts, the Cats’ second JLT Community Series fixture presents a fantastic opportunity for a small defender to test himself against one of – if not the – best small forwards in the AFL.
Jed Bews was handed the task for the most part last year but like Harry Taylor, Bews has predominantly found himself in a new role up forward. So if not Bews, then who?
After an outstanding debut performance against Hawthorn, could young Zach Guthrie be put to the test? The 18-year-old did man the dangerous Cyril Rioli at times in JLT1 but would a match up on Betts be throwing him to the wolves?
Likewise, Jackson Thurlow will be playing just his second game back from a knee reconstruction and may be eased into the fray, leaving potentially Tom Ruggles as the most likely for Betts.
Backing it up
Every new Cat made a contribution against the Hawks in Launceston. Zach Tuohy proved himself as Geelong’s best on the night with 33 disposals across halfback, while Zach Guthrie excelled in his first outing for 24 of his own. Tom Stewart was impressive for 16 disposals and eight marks, Aaron Black booted four goals as the dominant forward on the ground and both Brandan Parfitt and Jack Henry were more than serviceable too.
The challenge now is to back it up and continue the case for round one.
Out of the blocks
It’s no secret the Cats have had their issues giving up big leads early in games – the prime example being last year’s preliminary final. It happened again when facing the Hawks in JLT1 and Geelong found themselves 41 points down at half time, only to lose by four points with a goal on the siren.
The pre-season competition is perfect for ironing out your side’s deficiencies ahead of round one, and being at their best from the very start is something the Cats will be striving for against Adelaide.
