Geelong v West Coast
Skilled Stadium, 2.10pm, Saturday
FORECAST
Cloudy with rain developing. Likely top temperature of around 16 degrees.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Round 13, 2008 at Subiaco – Geelong 28.14 (182) d West Coast 5.17 (47)
The less said about this match – at least from a West Coast perspective – the better. Geelong fans would be happy to have the game on replay, such was the highlights package of the 135-point walloping.
Geelong surged to the front from the opening minutes and never looked back. Paul Chapman and Cameron Mooney each kicked five goals while Gary Ablett maintained his amazing mid-season run of form with 33 dazzling possessions and two goals – capped with a superb, running, dodging major on the run in the final stanza.
FORM GUIDE
If ever there was a 'dead rubber', this is the game. Geelong will be looking to get through its final home and away match unscathed but also continue the magnificent form it has shown throughout the second half of 2008. The Cats won their 12th straight game last week with an impressive-enough effort against North Melbourne, the team many believe could be the reigning premier's biggest threat in coming weeks.
It has been a season to forget for the Eagles. They did get to sing the team song twice in the space of three matches just a few weeks back, but a couple of sub-par efforts have followed. Those losses were to be expected, given the thumping headache coach John Worsfold must have caused by reading his side's injury list.
RANDOM FACTS
* Paul Chapman returned from a hamstring injury in style last week, booting four goals. He also had his best game of the season against West Coast in round 13, collecting 26 touches and kicking five goals.
* Despite their success in the '00s, West Coast has won just one of its past seven matches at Skilled Stadium. That was its stunning, come-from-behind win in 2006.
* West Coast has had a disappointing season but third quarters have been particularly poor. Things might only get worse on Saturday. Geelong has won more than any other side (17) while the Eagles have won the fewest in the competition (5).
KEY MATCH UPS
Harry Taylor v Ashley Hansen
Mark Thompson might continue to fast-track Harry Taylor's development this week by allowing his emerging key position prospect to play on the Eagles' most-credentialled forward. With the visitors seemingly boasting few genuine concerns up forward, why not allow Taylor to get more experience on West Coast's premiership CHF? Matthew Scarlett is likely to get youngster Ben McKinley, potentially leaving Darren Milburn and co. to run amok.
Cameron Ling v Matthew Priddis
The AFL's best tagger no longer has to worry about Chris Judd or Ben Cousins in an Eagles jumper. And Daniel Kerr is out for the year, so that leaves John Worsfold's next best accumulator to grab. Priddis finds plenty of it but isn't as damaging as the aforementioned champs. Geelong's star might even allow himself a little more freedom in the run-in to September.
Brad Ottens v Dean Cox
Ottens will be crucial in the coming weeks, so it might not be a bad thing that he gets to fine-tune his finals preparation with a hit-out against the likely All-Australian ruckman. Cox will cover more ground and probably at a quicker rate than 'Otto' – although those who saw him chase down Boomer Harvey last week might question that – but the big Cat's ruckwork and ability to push forward will be pivotal.
WHAT THE CLUBS SAY
Geelong coach Mark Thompson
"West Coast are going to come here and I know they haven't got much of a team [due to injuries], but we want to give them the hardest day they are ever going to have in their life.
"I know that they have 15 players on their injury list and 10 of those 15 are probably in their starting 22 so their side's a bit depleted. But they'd still want to finish on a good note I'd say."
West Coast coach John Worsfold
"It's a great learning environment for a lot of our players, and it's a great learning environment for me.
"Mark Thompson has made a statement that is really directed at the Geelong players more than at us. [We'll] just go out and enjoy the challenge of playing one of the great sides."
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
