Essendon hosts Geelong at Windy Hill at 1pm Saturday. Both clubs field AFL standalone sides at different ends of the spectrum with Geelong VFL Premiers last season and Essendon in its first season of going alone after a 10 year partnership with Bendigo as Steve O’Brien reports.
It will be a case of who can regain momentum and arrest the slide as both sides have suffered narrow defeats in recent matches.
Essendon looked home against top side Port a fortnight ago only to have Port over run them by 2 goals, then last week they jumped out of blocks against Collingwood before Collingwood reeled them in. The sides then went on a goal for goal in a shootout with the Pies recording a 9 point victory.
Geelong who had won their opening 5 games has suffered consecutive losses. The score board showing amazing symmetry with the Cats going down 18.12.120 d 16.11.107 in games against Collingwood and Casey.
In both matches the Cats led early, only to trail at half time. In the Casey match they trailed by 37 points at three quarter time rallying late.
A lot of Essendon fans would have been hoping to see David Hille back on the park this week after his sojourn to France however the club has decided a training regime will be more beneficial for the big man.
Jackson Merrett will play his first game in the VFL for the season having previously either played in the AFL side or been on standby for that team. Jason Ashby also returns whilst Scott Gumbleton and Will Hams will travel to Sydney with the senior side. Aaron Davey has been named as a possible emergency after recovering from a minor hamstring complaint.
At Geelong the notable inclusions are Billie Smedts, Jaxon Barham and Jed Bews. Nathan Vardy has been selected in the AFL side and Josh Cowan will miss through injury.
The keys to the match could be Cats key forwards Josh Walker and Shane Kersten. Essendon’s Tayte Pears likely to take Walker, the fleet footed Kersten will provide a difficult match up.
Essendon will be hoping Joe Daniher and Cory Dell’Olio who kicked 10 goals between them can provide similar headaches at the other end.
Dons co captains Ben Duscher and Mathew Bate, by their own lofty standards have had quiet starts to their seasons may have turned the corner with Duscher named in the best and Bate kicking 3 goals last week.
Geelong despite having a longer injury list than their counterparts boast a centre line of Smedts, Troy Selwood and Jordan Murdoch and a ruck division of Dawson Simpson, Jesse Stringer and evergreen Dom Gleeson. On paper likely to cause Essendon no end of problems.
In a game that will be a lot closer than the majority of people expect, the Cats to get home by 8 points.
Last Modified on 31/05/2013 17:06