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Huge game with our eagles boys looking to rebound from the deplorable derby performance against an inform Geelong side.
Preview: West Coast v Geelong
August 07 2012 at 3:33PM
By Nathan Schmook and Adam McNicol | Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network
WHERE AND WHEN: Patersons Stadium, Friday August 10, 6.40pm
LAST TIME: Geelong 17.15 (117) defeated West Coast 10.9 (69), second preliminary final, 2011 at the MCG
TV, RADIO AND BETTING: Click here for broadcast guide and odds
Alarm bells are ringing at West Coast after the club's third loss in four games. Last Saturday's 65-point loss to Fremantle was the Eagles' heaviest defeat in two years and it saw them lose touch with the top four, with the midfield's performance particularly worrying. Geelong, meanwhile, appears to have its season back on track and will travel west buoyed by a thrilling two-point win over Hawthorn.
THE FOUR POINTS
WEST COAST
1. The Eagles midfield has been comprehensively beaten at stoppages in the past month, losing the clearances in each of its previous four games by an average margin of almost 10. Matt Rosa (broken jaw) was the only regular midfielder from this season unavailable against Fremantle, so availability was not an issue. Accountability and desire, on the other hand, were, according to coach John Worsfold.
2. Young midfielder Luke Shuey can expect to be targeted by opposition stoppers for a while after Fremantle's Ryan Crowley tagged him out of the derby last Saturday. Freo left Daniel Kerr to rack up 36 disposals, including 21 handballs, reckoning the damage Shuey could do if left alone would be greater. It's a compliment to the classy 22-year-old and something he'll now have to work through to take the next step in his career.
3. The importance of captain Darren Glass was obvious against Fremantle, as in-form goalkicker Matthew Pavlich dominated and kicked eight goals against Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown. Glass returns from suspension this week as another red-hot forward, Tom Hawkins, looms large. The skipper is West Coast's backline general and the team will hope he can lift all those around him, including Shannon Hurn, who was held to just five disposals by defensive forward Matt de Boer.
4. What has happened to the Eagles' tackling pressure? Despite losing the possession count against Fremantle, West Coast was out-tackled (62-72) and appeared particularly stagnant in the forward line where Josh Hill and Jack Darling laid two tackles each. Defensive pressure has been a strength of that pair this season and they'll need to rediscover it against the Cats rebounding backmen.
GEELONG
1. So much for the Cats being poor starters. Since kicking the first four goals of the game when they beat Essendon in round 17, Chris Scott's men have been as rapid out of the blocks as Usain Bolt. Their nine-goal opening quarter against Hawthorn last weekend was sensational. ''It has been well documented that we haven't started that well, so we've worked hard at training. We've pushed all our heavy work to early at training so we are up and about early and I think it's really worked for us,'' midfielder Allen Christensen told Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
2. Geelong has also tackled another issue that held it back early in the year - winning the contested ball. The Cats had more contested possessions than their opponents only once in the first 11 rounds. But they have bounced back in a big way in recent weeks, winning the contested possession count in five of their past six games.
3. When the Cats' No. 1 ruckman Trent West was ruled out for up to a month with a knee injury, it seemed Geelong was going to struggle in the middle of the ground. But 30-year-old recruit Orren Stephenson stepped up with a great performance against Hawthorn. Stephenson collected eight possessions in the first quarter as the Cats piled on nine goals. The athletic big man finished the game with 14 touches, 23 hit-outs and seven clearances, having had the better of Hawks duo David Hale and Jarryd Roughead. Stephenson now faces another tough job against West Coast ruckmen Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.
4. The Eagles' defence was monstered by Freo's Matthew Pavlich last weekend, and now it has to try and contain Geelong's star forward Tom Hawkins. The 24-year-old was an outstanding contributor for the Cats against the Hawks, booting six goals, including the match-winner from 55m out on the siren. Hawkins is No. 1 in the AFL for goals from marks (34), marks inside 50 (70) and contested marks inside 50 (27).
AFL.com.au prediction: Geelong by 12 points - My prediction - Eagles by 15 points.
Preview: West Coast v Geelong
August 07 2012 at 3:33PM
By Nathan Schmook and Adam McNicol | Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network
WHERE AND WHEN: Patersons Stadium, Friday August 10, 6.40pm
LAST TIME: Geelong 17.15 (117) defeated West Coast 10.9 (69), second preliminary final, 2011 at the MCG
TV, RADIO AND BETTING: Click here for broadcast guide and odds
Alarm bells are ringing at West Coast after the club's third loss in four games. Last Saturday's 65-point loss to Fremantle was the Eagles' heaviest defeat in two years and it saw them lose touch with the top four, with the midfield's performance particularly worrying. Geelong, meanwhile, appears to have its season back on track and will travel west buoyed by a thrilling two-point win over Hawthorn.
THE FOUR POINTS
WEST COAST
1. The Eagles midfield has been comprehensively beaten at stoppages in the past month, losing the clearances in each of its previous four games by an average margin of almost 10. Matt Rosa (broken jaw) was the only regular midfielder from this season unavailable against Fremantle, so availability was not an issue. Accountability and desire, on the other hand, were, according to coach John Worsfold.
2. Young midfielder Luke Shuey can expect to be targeted by opposition stoppers for a while after Fremantle's Ryan Crowley tagged him out of the derby last Saturday. Freo left Daniel Kerr to rack up 36 disposals, including 21 handballs, reckoning the damage Shuey could do if left alone would be greater. It's a compliment to the classy 22-year-old and something he'll now have to work through to take the next step in his career.
3. The importance of captain Darren Glass was obvious against Fremantle, as in-form goalkicker Matthew Pavlich dominated and kicked eight goals against Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown. Glass returns from suspension this week as another red-hot forward, Tom Hawkins, looms large. The skipper is West Coast's backline general and the team will hope he can lift all those around him, including Shannon Hurn, who was held to just five disposals by defensive forward Matt de Boer.
4. What has happened to the Eagles' tackling pressure? Despite losing the possession count against Fremantle, West Coast was out-tackled (62-72) and appeared particularly stagnant in the forward line where Josh Hill and Jack Darling laid two tackles each. Defensive pressure has been a strength of that pair this season and they'll need to rediscover it against the Cats rebounding backmen.
GEELONG
1. So much for the Cats being poor starters. Since kicking the first four goals of the game when they beat Essendon in round 17, Chris Scott's men have been as rapid out of the blocks as Usain Bolt. Their nine-goal opening quarter against Hawthorn last weekend was sensational. ''It has been well documented that we haven't started that well, so we've worked hard at training. We've pushed all our heavy work to early at training so we are up and about early and I think it's really worked for us,'' midfielder Allen Christensen told Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show.
2. Geelong has also tackled another issue that held it back early in the year - winning the contested ball. The Cats had more contested possessions than their opponents only once in the first 11 rounds. But they have bounced back in a big way in recent weeks, winning the contested possession count in five of their past six games.
3. When the Cats' No. 1 ruckman Trent West was ruled out for up to a month with a knee injury, it seemed Geelong was going to struggle in the middle of the ground. But 30-year-old recruit Orren Stephenson stepped up with a great performance against Hawthorn. Stephenson collected eight possessions in the first quarter as the Cats piled on nine goals. The athletic big man finished the game with 14 touches, 23 hit-outs and seven clearances, having had the better of Hawks duo David Hale and Jarryd Roughead. Stephenson now faces another tough job against West Coast ruckmen Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui.
4. The Eagles' defence was monstered by Freo's Matthew Pavlich last weekend, and now it has to try and contain Geelong's star forward Tom Hawkins. The 24-year-old was an outstanding contributor for the Cats against the Hawks, booting six goals, including the match-winner from 55m out on the siren. Hawkins is No. 1 in the AFL for goals from marks (34), marks inside 50 (70) and contested marks inside 50 (27).
AFL.com.au prediction: Geelong by 12 points - My prediction - Eagles by 15 points.
