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July 17, 2007
Ten of the best
Tom Harley exemplifies Geelong's toughness on the weekend, backing back into a massive pack.
GEELONG 4.3 7.5 9.10 11.14 (80)
COLLINGWOOD 2.4 6.5 7.8 9.10 (64)
GOALS
Geelong: C Ling 2 S Johnson 2 C Mooney M Stokes C Enright D Wojcinski J Selwood P Chapman J Bartel
Collingwood: T Cloke 4 P Medhurst T Lockyer S Burns N Maxwell A Rocca.
BEST
Geelong: Chapman, Scarlett, Selwood, Ling, Corey, Enright, Johnson, G. Ablett
Collingwood: Lockyer, Cloke, Licuria, Wakelin, H Shaw, Burns, Pendlebury
UMPIRES
D Margetts S McBurney B Rosebury.
CROWD
85,497
At the start of the season if you told me we'd beat Collingwood in Round 15, in front of 85,000 plus to win our 10th straight game in a row I'd have slapped you down, slapped you down to Chinatown. But here we are, having played every side in the competition we find ourselves sitting pretty on the top of the table two wins & a healthy percentage ahead of our nearest competitors however there is still so much work to be done.
The day didn't start too well, trains to Melbourne were cancelled which meant a bus ride to Werribee lay ahead, however after standing in a queue for over half an hour we were told to wait for a train as they were back on, this meant further delays. Once we rushed to the ground just in time for the first bounce we found it virtually impossible to get a seat. Having to settle for standing area down the Punt Road end of the ground with about 80% visibility was not the blockbuster encounter I had hoped for. We had started poorly and Collingwood managed to put through two early majors and the Magpie Army was starting to get into full gear.
Then everything changed. Out of pure good luck a steward found us a whole bunch of empty seats without us even asking and Geelong started to settle down & play some football, slamming home 5 goals in a row to take a three goal lead. However Collingwood are a resilient unit this season and would not go quietly into the night. Lockyer punished a mistake by Steve Johnson & when Travis Cloke slotted his 2nd from outside 50 the Pies took the lead by a point.
Indicative of how these two sides play their football it was very tense atmosphere throughout the game, ferocious tackling and a high tempo meant that both teams skills were down, Geelong's particularly when entering our forward line as the 1 goal half time lead somewhat flattered Collingwood.
Our midfield shifted up a gear in the 3rd quarter, with us controlling the game even more so thanks to some improved delivery into the forward line, however mainly Cam Mooney was unable to capitalise as he missed 3 attempts that could have blown the Pies out of the water.
Both sides battled on to the final siren, but Geelong always seemed into control in the 2nd half, whenever Collingwood seemed to pull within two goals, Geelong would always find the answer due to some great defending.
Matthew Scarlett was fantastic in defence. He kept Rocca quiet and to only 1 goal, while his setting up of plays down the ground while streaming out of the defensive 50 was nothing short of brilliant. I have since heard a statistic that 6.3.39 resulted in attacks that Scarlett started. Scarlo was also helped down back by Tommy Harley who kept Thomas quiet in the first half and Mackie who kept Didak in check. Egan wasn't horrible, but his opponent Travis Cloke was Collingwood's main man up forward with 4 goals.
Selwood was great in the midfield, the kid loves the tough stuff. Ling kept Dane Swan's production well down, Joel Corey finished with 34 touches after starting slow against Licuria. Paul Chapman got a tonne of it also but uncharacteristically made a few mistakes while Gary Ablett managed 32 possessions but wasn't at his absolute best.
Up forward was a bit of a struggle, but a team effort from the forward line was enough to kick a winning score without anyone really putting their hand up to be a match winner on the day.
Next week it's another Friday night football game against rivals the Western Bulldogs. A opposition we seem to struggle with in recent seasons and duly lost to in Round 1 early in the year, but can we make it 11 in a row? With the run this club is on at the moment, of course we can.
Geelongblog.com Player of the Year
Round 15:
4.5. Matthew Scarlett
4.5. Joel Corey
3. Joel Selwood
2. Gary Ablett
1. Corey Enright
Leaderboard:
1. Gary Ablett - 37.5
2. Jimmy Bartel - 32.3
3. Joel Corey - 17.5
4. Cameron Ling - 17.3
5. Joel Selwood - 16.5
6. Paul Chapman - 14
7. Matthew Scarlett - 12.8
8. Corey Enright - 9
9. Darren Milburn 7.5
10. Nathan Ablett - 7
10. Matthew Egan - 7
10. Steve Johnson - 7
13. David Wojcinski - 6
14. Andrew Mackie - 5.8
15. Cameron Mooney - 5.3
16. James Kelly - 5
17. Brad Ottens - 4
17. Brent Prismall - 4
19. David Johnson - 2.5
20. Travis Varcoe - 2
20. Max Rooke - 2
22. Kane Tenace - 1.5
23. Tom Harley - 0.8
24. Mark Blake - 0.5
Posted by Sammy D at July 17, 2007 03:40 PM
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