Richmond assistant coach Blake Caracella provides ‘Roar Vision’ with a snapshot of Geelong’s main on-field attributes ahead of this Saturday afternoon’s big clash at Simonds Stadium.
Key match-up: Astbury v Taylor
“Harry trained all pre-season down forward, so he’s learning the craft. He’s kicked two bags of five this year and he’s a pretty good shot on goal, too, when he gets the ball. If he doesn’t mark it, he’ll provide a contest . . . I think they’ll have (Wylie) Buzza down there as well. So two key forwards that are going to be hard to handle . . . I didn’t know too much about Dave (Astbury) when I came to the Club, but he’s been a fantastic contributor for us this year. He’s joining in the attack, as well, and shaping the ball out of the backline with the other boys.”
Geelong’s home fortress
“The ground’s 30 metres skinnier than the MCG, so it’s a lot easier to defend . . . There’s no space to find compared to the MCG, and they do play the ground very well. They train there each day and they’ve played plenty of games on there. So it’s going to be a real big challenge for us to go down to a ground that we’re not familiar with and play well.”
Increased importance of centre clearances at the Cattery
“Teams can’t transition the ball from deep-50 to forward-50 as well as they can on the MCG for the same reason – there’s less space. So, if you can get the ball from the midfield down to the forward line, you can really lock it in there. And, if you don’t get the score the first time, you might get a re-entry and score the second time.”
The Cats’ strong defensive rebound
“Mackie’s such a smart player and Tuohy’s kicked some goals this year. You see him kick goals from 55-60 metres out. So we need to be prepared for that in case they do have some long shots. They are a great attacking team. Whether they win the ball at stoppages and go forward, or they rebound off half-back, we’ve got our work cut out.”
Dangerfield’s immense impact
“He’s an awesome player . . . so powerful. He plays midfield, but can go forward, and probably could play down back if he wanted to. He’s got all the tricks – he can mark it in the air, he can win the ball on the ground, he’s quick, composed. It’s going to be hard to stop him. Some players you can’t stop getting the ball, but you can try and negate the influence they have.”
The chance of Dangerfield spending more time forward
They’ve got a few players out, so it’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen . . . If they’re going to go tall down forward or short down forward . . . who’s to play where. But with Selwood and Duncan out, I guess they’ll probably look to play Dangerfield through the midfield for the majority of the game.”
