GEELONG recorded its second loss for the season in wet and windy conditions at the MCG against the Demons.
We've broken down the stats that matter in this week’s edition of ‘By The Numbers’ presented by Deakin’s Centre for Sport Research.
Contested Dee-molition
Melbourne won the ball at the source on Sunday, keeping the Cats on the back foot all afternoon.
Geelong lost the hit-outs by 30, the clearances by 11 and the contested ball by 19, a recipe for a second loss for the season.
The Demons are built for contested ball dominance with Christian Petracca (15 contested possessions, nine clearances), Jack Viney (16 contested possessions, eight clearances) and Clayton Oliver (14 contested possessions, six clearances) having their way in the midfield.
The good news for the Cats is help isn’t too far away.
The likely additions of Patrick Dangerfield and Brandan Parfitt next week will help markedly in this area.
The cavalry is coming
Six walk-up members of the club’s best 22 watched from the sidelines on Sunday.
Having Patrick Dangerfield, Jeremy Cameron, Sam Simpson, Gary Rohan, Brandan Parfitt and Shaun Higgins would make the Cats a significantly different side to the team that ran out on the weekend.
Good football won’t just happen when the big names return, but getting the troops back into battle will certainly help.
Atkins the Accumulator
Atkins' 25 disposals against the Demons will go down as a career-high for the newly converted defender.
The rugged ex-forward is having no trouble finding the ball in his new role, with all four of his efforts this year in his seven highest disposal games.
The man with the moustache is providing wonderful drive and a clean pair of hands inside the defensive arch and the Cats look to have found something after throwing the magnets around.
Stew-pendous Performance
Tom Stewart hasn’t missed a beat in his fifth season of AFL football.
The ultra-reliable defender has gathered between 21 and 25 disposals in all four of his games so far this season and grabbed a game-high nine marks against the Demons.
With another six spoils added to his tally, the dogged defender did his part to try and repel the Demons 62 Inside 50s.
The old reliable
When Joel Selwood runs out onto the park, you can take 100 per cent effort from the skipper to the bank.
Selwood led the Cats with 30 disposals, eight tackles and six score involvements as he tried to drag the Cats over the line.
Our captain has been reliable in the middle all year averaging 24 disposals, six tackles and over four clearances, remarkable given he’s closing in on 33-years-of-age.
