Geelong suffered their second loss of the season, falling to Carlton by two points at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night.
After three lacklustre opening quarters, the Cats finally kicked into gear in the final term but left their run to late.
Slow start proves costly
Despite Geelong’s best efforts in the last quarter kicking five goals straight to Carlton’s one behind with only one rotation on the bench, the Blues were able to hold on for victory and it was their flying start that was the difference.
Carlton kicked five of the opening six goals to take a 25-point lead into quarter time. They extended that margin to a game-high 42-points midway through the third term, before the Cats finally found their mojo but they left their run too late.
Post-game Coach Chris Scott admitted the team needs to address its consistency from week to week.
“There are no clear answers at the moment except that we do have problem,” Scott said.
“We have been getting inconsistent output and it has been happening over a long period of time.”
Rohan doesn’t need much of the ball to have an impact
On a night when Geelong’s forward-line struggled particularly in the air, Gary Rohan was a shining light.
He had a team-high three contested marks and looked dangerous every time he went near the football. He reminded us all of just how impactful he can be with limited possessions.
In the third quarter when the Cats needed a spark it was Rohan who provided it.
He took a brilliant diving mark and then went back and kicked his second goal of the game on his non preferred foot from deep in the pocket.
He backed that up just moments later with a bullet like pass onto the chest of a leading Tom Hawkins.
Rohan finished with a team-high three contested marks, two goals and six score involvements from his 10 possessions.
Narkle is getting better with each game he plays
Quinton Narkle continues to improve with each outing after another solid performance against Blues.
The 22-year-old was strong in the contest throughout finishing with an equal team-high 10 contested possession and six tackles from 18 disposals.
He was efficient with the ball in hand too, operating at 77.8% efficiency and brought his teammates into the game with seven score involvements.
Steven will be better for the run
Jack Steven made his debut for the Cats on Saturday night.
The 30-year-old will be better for the run after finishing the game with six disposals.
“He got through which was probably the main thing, we thought he was ready to play and in the context of virtually everyone being underdone in terms of match practice,” Scott said.
“It made sense to bring him in when (Brandan) Parfitt went out, but he will get better.”
In his post-match press conference Scott revealed that Parfitt’s hamstring is quite minor and that he is contention to return against the Demons on Sunday.
