JED BEWS used Saturday night as a chance to study.
Safe in the knowledge that Geelong had already booked its place in the Toyota AFL Grand Final 24 hours earlier, Bews watched Sydney and Collingwood battle it out while taking notes on which opponent he might soon face in the season's decider.
Watching the match over some dinner at home with his parents, Bews witnessed the Swans surge clear and questioned whether it would be Tom Papley he'd face next Saturday. He then saw the Pies fight back, and thought about whether it would be Jamie Elliott.
Ultimately, Papley's three goals lit up the SCG crowd and provided Sydney with yet another match-winning performance. That, in itself, might have been a daunting visual for a defender normally tasked with quelling the opposition's best small forward.
But, embedded in a Geelong backline that prefers to let its system do a significant portion of the defending – rather than any individual – Bews watched on with confidence in his teammates' ability to help him when called upon.
"I reckon it'll be Tom," Bews told AFL.com.au of his likely opponent.
"I don't think it'll be a complete lockdown role, it'll be the way we play it all year. It'll be more system-based, rather than playing on specific players. He played well the other night, but then again all of their forwards are dangerous if you let them off the leash.
"If I get Tom – well, I'll definitely get him for bits and pieces throughout the game – but if I do, then I'll be excited for the challenge."
On Saturday night, Papley's influence wasn't limited to just providing goals, score involvements and clearances. He also roused the crowd with his physicality, taunting both Brayden Maynard and Jordan De Goey from the game's outset.
That aspect to Papley's game has caught Geelong's attention before, and might again this weekend. But it's something Bews is prepared for, and won't mind should it ultimately eventuate.
"Look, if it's there then it's there. I won't shy away from it," Bews said.
"But it's good. That's what he brings for Sydney. I don't want to say he's like Hayden Ballantyne, but he's that small forward who gets up and about when he kicks his goals. He really gets his team going. I don't mind that stuff."
Bews, who graduated through the Geelong Falcons program as a junior prospect, has now spent his entire 11-year AFL career with the Cats. He's seen multiple iterations of this side, but none as good as the current version.
Having featured in Geelong's 2020 Grand Final defeat to Richmond, the 28-year-old sees a new mindset developing in his current teammates and believes that 'win-at-all-costs' attitude has been evident throughout this year's finals series.
"It feels like even when we don't play quite our best footy, it's still good enough to get wins. Even in the Collingwood game (in the qualifying final), we probably didn't play our best game. But we still managed to get the win," Bews said.
"Brisbane was more of a full-game performance for us. But it just feels like we've got different ways we can win games, rather than just hoping that if these things go well then we'll win. There are different avenues we can use to win games, which is good."
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Bews' last Grand Final was played at the Gabba after teams spent almost the entire season in hubs due to the COVID-19 interruptions caused throughout the campaign.
Monday's open training session, played out in front of around 7,000 Geelong spectators ahead of Saturday afternoon's showpiece event at the MCG, suggested this year's preparations would be different, and better, for the Cats.
"It's much better," Bews laughed.
"It's completely different, certainly to the Grand Final we played in during the 2020 season. It's heaps different. We're actually allowed to be around people, we're not up in Gold Coast in a hotel room. It feels a bit more real and interactive. It's just a lot better."
