Round 13 – Geelong v Gold Coast: From the Hickey Stand

 

 

From the Hickey Stand, Round 13 Cats v Suns
By Marcus Holt

 

It’s been very wintry in Geelong this week so I rugged up for the game, four layers of Geelong merchandise, including the retro bomber jacket that Darlow gave me a couple of weeks ago. Neither he or Shaun were at the game and even my sister Vicki couldn’t make it this week. The bloke I sat next to isn’t a regular and he took up a little more room than his allotment. One of the pitfalls of modern stadia is the cramped seating: maximising capacity for maximum profit.

 

The other annoying thing about the Hickey Stand/Kardinia Park is the lousy internet connectivity. We have a very active group text chat during most games but the reception is so poor that I can neither send nor receive messages most of the time. Sorry for the rant, first world problems I know.

 

The game was tight and tough and scrappy, chiefly because it rained for most of the night. The Cats started well, kicking the first couple of goals and looking in command but some easy misses kept the score low and close. What was most notable was the intense pressure both teams were applying. Wet slippery ball, tough tackling and intense pressure meant there were a LOT of stoppages. I read later that it was a record: 154 ball-ups and ball-ins.

 

It was not a night for high marks or big blokes. It was the small, speedy, nuggetty types who came to the fore. Close, O’Connor, Atkins, Clohesy, Mullin and Mannagh all had good games. It wasn’t till part way through the second quarter that I realised Bailey Smith wasn’t playing! A very late change which gave Clohesy a full game and he relished the opportunity. He just looks tough to me.It was also Jack Martin’s debut for the Hoops and he was highly visible in the first quarter, less so after the first break.

 

Gryan Miers adapted to the conditions and produced a few audacious passes that reminded me again of Stevie J. His vision and lightning fast decision making combined with his beautiful foot skills are outstanding.

 

It was Danger’s first game since his hamstring tear and his impact was limited. He spent most of the game in the forward line but failed to hit the scoreboard. In fact, Danger and Jezza were Geelong’s two lowest-rated players for the game according to the AFL ratings.

 

With Smith not playing that meant our three most dynamic players had little or no impact on the result. But fear not Cats fans, ‘Welcome to the stage, Max Holmes!” Max was everywhere, a human dynamo, bursting out of the centre, kicking long, tackling and chasing and racking up a career high 40 possessions, 19 of which were contested. If I don’t hear ‘Three votes Max Holmes’ for round 13 on Brownlow night I may lodge a formal complaint. I will say though that I think Max was a little too aware of how close he was to 40 late in the game because he was clearly chasing possessions and showing some frustration when the ball wasn’t kicked to him. Significantly, in the post-match interview on K-Rock Sam De Koning was dismissive of that ‘milestone’ being of importance and sounded disapproving of personal achievements taking precedence over team rules and goals.

 

Gold Coast were the better team in the second quarter and drew level with a goal to Ben Long and again early in the third through Jed Walter but they never hit the lead. After half time the Cats put the foot down and steadily pulled away, leading by 16 at 3/4 time.

 

Shannon Neale was subbed out with a foot or ankle injury in the second quarter, replaced by Mitch Duncan who has played well since coming back into the side. Rhys Stanley dislocated a finger but managed to pull it back into place and contested a stoppage a minute later with his injured hand.

 

Pushing Max for BOG honours was Tyson Stengle who kicked 4 goals and posed the greatest threat to the Suns backline. His second goal from deep in the right forward pocket was a thing of beauty. The other ‘highlight’ of the night was the textbook bump Tom Stewart laid on Noah Anderson that sent a gasp around the stand. It was a devastating hit that left Noah sore and shaken. He looked like a crash test dummy as he fell to the ground but thankfully he wasn’t concussed despite his head hitting the ground.

 

Goals to Dempsey, Miers and Stengle in the final quarter saw the Cats home with a solid four-goal win that was not dependent on the superstars but testament to the growing maturity and ability of the team to win a tough game against quality opposition.

 

 

GEELONG                  2.2       4.4       6.7       9.7 (61)
GOLD COAST            0.2       3.3       4.3       5.7 (37) 

 

GOALS
Geelong: Stengle 4, Atkins, Humphries, Close, Dempsey, Miers
Gold Coast: King, Rowell, Long, Walter, Humphrey 

 

BEST
Geelong: Holmes, Atkins, Stengle, Miers, Henry, O’Connor
Gold Coast: Jeffrey, Rowell, Powell, Humphrey, Fiorini 

 

INJURIES
Geelong: Neale (ankle)
Gold Coast: Anderson (Chest) 

 

LATE CHANGES
Geelong: Bailey Smith (hamstring) replaced by Ted Clohesy
Gold Coast: Ethan Read (tactical) replaced by Sean Lemmens 

 

SUBSTITUTES
Geelong: Mitch Duncan (replaced Neale in the second quarter)
Gold Coast: Ben Ainsworth (replaced Leo Lombard in the third quarter) 

 

Crowd: 29,502 at GMHBA Stadium

 

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