Geelong's mid-season purple patch continues to gain momentum, with the Cats winning streak extending to five after a six goal victory against Collingwood at Victoria Park last Saturday as Kane Hunkin reports.
The win completes a seasonal sweep of the Pies and moves Geelong to outright fourth spot on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder following Bendigo's round 16 loss to Casey.
In a throwback to traditional football, Geelong, boasting the key inclusions of Dawson Simpson, Mitch Brown and George Horlin-Smith, led from start to finish against a competitive Collingwood side.
The defensive rebound from Tom Young and a forward line buoyed by the likes of Jackson Paine and Jarrod Witts provided stubborn opposition from the home side, with the half-time margin just four points after Geelong got the early break in the first term.
Goals were rare in the third quarter's infancy, with the margin still in single figures. However, a snap goal from Simon Hogan at the 20 minute mark broke the scoring drought and sparked the Cats. Two subsequent goals to Mark Corrigan and Horlin-Smith respectively afforded the Cats a decisive 25 point lead going into the last change.
Despite Collingwood remaining determined, three goals in the first ten minutes of the last quarter to the visitors confirmed the result, with Geelong registering win number nine for the year.
Corey Gault's two goals for Collingwood provided an offensive spark, while Peter Yagmoor (18 possessions, one goal) and Nick Riddle were prominent for the Pies.
Despite leading Geelong's VFL goal kicking, Mitch Brown's versatility continued to impress in the win when playing predominantly down back. The young key-position player's 25 disposals and 10 marks were important. While, Horlin-Smith (27 disposals, two goals) and Jonathan Simpkin (29 touches, one goal) were additionally crucial to the end result.
After the game, Geelong assistant coach Max Rooke observed the contested nature of the game, noting the side's ability to run out the match.
"The first half was pretty tough. But, the third quarter it just took us a while. We were playing pretty good, but we just couldn't get a goal on the board and it was good to kick a couple late and get a little break on them. And, then the last quarter we really toughed it out," Rooke said.
Moreover, Rooke was complimentary of the back line, with the Cats for the third time in four games keeping the opposition to seven goals or less.
"They [the defence] were under the pump at times and did really well. [We] kept them to 48 points. They held up really well," he said.
With Geelong on a five game winning streak, the assistant coach attributes the current continuity and form to the initial win against Port Melbourne in round 11.
"Sometimes, especially with so many young blokes, they probably don't realise how good they can be until they have a win like that.
"Confidence can help so much and it probably did galvanise the team a little bit. They all started to enjoy their footy a bit more knowing that they could beat those guys. And everything goes from there. They start training harder and everything flows," Rooke said.
Geelong enters their last bye of the season a game and percentage inside the top four. While, Collingwood will look for their fourth win when they take on the Box Hill Hawks at Victoria Park this Saturday.
Geelong 11.18.84 def Collingwood 7.6.48
Photo: Arj Giese
Last Modified on 16/07/2012 10:19