Finals football is a fundamental proposition but also a ruthless test. Honourable performances sadly count for very little and the differences between a win and a loss are stark as Kane Hunkin reports.
Geelong were brave against Port Melbourne last Sunday. Defiant, purposeful and at times maybe unlucky. However, in a game where taking those small chances are critical, the reigning premiers, officially beginning their finals defence at home, were too strong for the Cats.
Mid-way through the last quarter, a four-goal burst, while chasing down a 30-point last change deficit, had the Cats within three points of the lead. Finals find a way to script the unlikely and for a fleeting moment, the Borough looked vulnerable on an oval, which hasn’t seen an away team claim victory in the last two seasons.
While Port Melbourne looked the more experienced during the afternoon, Geelong, through the experience of David Wojcinski and Shannon Byrnes coupled with the youth of Cameron Eardley and George Burbury looked dangerous. A late first term burst gave Geelong the quarter-time lead.
However, the ascendancy would remain with the home side for much of the game and despite a last quarter comeback, a 22 point loss was the end result for the Cats. Jonathan Simpkin led Geelong scorers with four goals.
After the game, Geelong coach Matthew Knights observed the disappointment of the loss, but equally shared optimism at the fact his side is still in finals contention.
“It is hard to know what emotion to have. I thought we were off the boil early. I thought Port played really well early in the game. We were second to the ball, giving away a lot of free kicks early on, which wasn’t ideal.
“I was proud of the last quarter. We had a couple of opportunities to take in front of goal, we just missed them,” Knights said.
The coach was at pains to highlight areas Geelong need to improve on against Box Hill this Sunday.
“The discipline in defence [is an area] to make sure we don’t give away too many frees. Also, our ball movement in the first half [today] was a bit rich, we were trying to make options up that weren’t there,” Knights said.
The match marked the first VFL post-season game for the Cats since 2008, with most of the players playing their first final.
“A lot of them, it was the first time they’ve played in a final, so let’s hope that keeps them in good stead for the coming weeks. We probably buried ourselves in a hole as a team, but the good thing about it is we fought back as a team.”
Geelong now faces an elimination semi-final against the Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields this Sunday. The Cats won the corresponding round 15 clash against the Hawks by 51 points. Knights adds that the rivalry will provide an interesting sub-plot to the match.
“Geelong and Hawthorn, who have built up quite a significant rivalry over the years, it probably does spills down to the Box Hill and Geelong rivalry. So, it’s going to be an exciting game for our boys to be apart of,” he said.
Last Modified on 05/09/2012 23:43