Last week’s loss to Fremantle was heartbreaking, there’s no doubt about it.
It’s probably the one loss that has eaten away at me the longest for some time, in fact it probably wasn’t until yesterday that I fully put it behind me.
Even last year’s loss to the Gold Coast didn’t hurt as much as this one, which I think is because we have so much to play for this year, every win must count.
If that is how a loss like that affected me, I can only imagine how the players must have felt, hopefully they moved on from it a lot quicker than I did though!
Onto this week.
The Cats have been a major bogey side for us, with our last victory against them coming in 2006. Last year we got painfully close to rolling them, falling short by just ten points at Skilled Stadium, but this year we face them for just the second time in eight years at the MCG.
Although their stars are aging, they are still one of the most difficult sides in the competition to get on top of, so the boys will need to be at their best to secure a win here.
The midfield battle will again be vital with Cotchin, Deledio and Martin going head to head against the likes of Selwood, Bartel and Stevie Johnson, but down back will also be important.
Alex Rance has been a bit out of touch in recent weeks, although I did feel that he stepped it up in the second half last week and got some confidence back. Although the cool head of Troy Chaplin will return, Rance is likely to be facing Tom Hawkins, who is every bit as strong as Travis Cloke who kicked a swag of goals on him a fortnight ago.
If our midfield pressure is good and doesn’t allow any easy forward 50 entries, I’ll be backing Rancey in to shut down Hawkins, especially with first-team defenders Chaplin and Steve Morris back in the line-up to support. Rancey will be fired up for this contest and will want to show that the last fortnight is nothing more than just an aberration.
Up forward, Jack Riewoldt had a quiet game on the goals front due to sacrificing his personal performance for the team’s, and was unfairly criticised by certain people in the media because of it.
It’s a shame that some people seem to only notice him when he is showing his frustration out on the ground. Rarely do they recognise the work he does off the ball in creating space for fellow key forwards Luke McGuane and Tyrone Vickery, who have both been amongst the goals this season.
Now coming up against Harry Taylor, he may be forced into playing that same role again, so it will be interesting to see what comments crop up in the media if he doesn’t kick a bag of goals. These critics are a fickle bunch though, so watch them shower him with praise if he happens to have his kicking boots on come Saturday.
My last message is for the Tiger supporters, which is don’t give up hope. While last week was a disappointing result, there is no doubt in my mind that we are a better football club this year and we will continue to improve as the season unfolds. We are yet to be disgraced and we have hit a tough part of the draw, which we are competing well in.
This week is another massive challenge that will help us learn more about where we are at as a club in 2013. If we can catch the Cats off-guard early and we the Tiger Army get behind our boys, we can turn the ‘G into a cauldron and send Geelong back down the highway without the four points.
Go Tiges!
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