Gazza, Cats silence Tiger boosJon Ralph,
Herald Sun
8 June 2019Twenty months ago as Richmond laid waste to Geelong in an MCG qualifying final masterclass, Chris Scott’s Cats were at the crossroads.
Couldn’t handle the MCG, couldn’t keep the ball inside 50m, weren’t much chop at winning finals any more either.
Geelong fans will wake up in the knowledge daylight is behind them in second place on the ladder after Friday night’s mauling of the Tigers.
And if they are honest they will realise a golden opportunity beckons for this side to win its fourth premiership in 12 completed seasons.
The distractions were twofold — the pathetic booing of Gary Ablett and an AFL score review system that is an embarrassment to this competition.
But dig deeper and the evidence is there Geelong has eradicated every one of those doubts during a 3-9 finals record since 2011.
Don’t look now but a side with an MCG hoodoo is 4-0 there in 2019, having knocked over Collingwood, Hawthorn, Essendon and Richmond at the home of footy.
The forward half pressure game that has become Geelong’s identity is well publicised.
And the Cats couldn’t have come out with a more impressive road test for the kind of finals-list pressure they will face in September.
Early on Richmond dialled up a full-frontal assault on Geelong’s players with a 32-14 tackle count and the demons of that 2017 final looked on show again.
Patrick Dangerfield was forced into those same old errors, Mark Blicavs looked shaky on the last line and the Tigers should have cashed in with more than 2.1 in the first stanza.
Great sides find another gear, and in a flash the Cats had turned this contest into a full-blown rout.
The swiftness of the momentum change and the Cats’ determination to put the foot to the throat of an understrength Richmond was savage.
When Gary Ablett wasn’t handing out goals to Dangerfield or Gryan Miers he was slotting them on the run, as everyone joined the party.
By the final siren Ablett was best-afield, Dangerfield and Tim Kelly weren’t far behind, Tom Hawkins had again slotted four goals and the Cats had again boosted their percentage.
There is even a silver lining to a hamstring injury to Esava Ratugolea, with the bye ahead and the luxury of resting battered players later in the year.
Richmond is missing seven of its best players, including Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Kane Lambert and Toby Nankervis.
But none of that excuses the middle two quarters as the Tigers coughed up 15 goals after showing how lethal their tackling pressure could be.
At least Patrick Naish had his moment to cherish, slamming through a skidding goal in the first term and looking handy on debut.
WHY THE BOO BOYS?On a night the AFL made the most comprehensive apology to Adam Goodes in 150 years of football, why would anyone want to boo Gary Ablett?
It happened at least twice early on, and to Geelong’s credit the Cats supporters at least tried to drown it out.
For the record, this player has delivered 18 seasons and 332 games of the most joyous football and with an ounce of luck should have four Brownlow Medals.
In what world would booing this great champion of the game make someone feel better about their own life?
GEELONG 0.2 7.4 15.8 16.8 (104) def RICHMOND 2.1 2.4 3.6 5.7 (37)
Goals:
Geelong: T Hawkins 4 G Miers 3 E Ratugolea 2 G Ablett 2 G Rohan M Duncan P Dangerfield R Stanley T Kelly
Richmond: D Butler D Martin J Castagna P Naish T Lynch.
Official Crowd: 65,214 at MCG.
Best: Geelong: Ablett, Dangerfield, Kelly, Hawkins, Stewart, Miers, Stanley, Ratugolea, Guthrie
Richmond: Prestia, Martin, Cotchin, Houli, McIntosh, Vlastuin
JON RALPH’S VOTES:
3 — Gary Ablett
2 — Patrick Dangerfield
1 — Tim Kelly
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/gary-ablett-stars-as-geelong-shows-theres-daylight-between-them-and-rest-of-competition/news-story/eb02993603959438f88b1e891a91c388
