As the wrong theme song resonated through Trevor Barker Beach Oval's speakers to begin the pre-game, perhaps the discernible fan knew it just wasn't meant to be Geelong's day. Call it a clear foreshadowing or maybe just an irrelevant coincidence, it was the beginning of an afternoon of maybes, missed chances and oh so close moments for the Cats Sunday week as Kane Hunkin reports.
Third versus fourth looked even on paper and that evenness was matched in the eventual contest. It was scrappy, it was entertaining but it was nevertheless a game indicative of two teams justifying their 'big improvers' status in 2012.
Geelong came off a bye and a last start loss to fellow top four side the Casey Scorpions keen to re-align the early season sentiment that saw the club win four of its first five games. The return of ruckman Dawson Simpson was significant. And, the continued experience given to the likes of Shane Kersten and Lincoln McCarthy crucial.
While the game was close throughout, it was the visiting Cats who played catch-up most of the day. The impressive key position forward line set-up of Josh Walker and Kersten was quieter than usual with the duo combining for just three goals. However, indicative of the Cats's strong VFL partnership it was the likes of Jackson Hollmer (four goals) and Jaxson Barham (two goals) who offered focal points up forward.
Walker's notable marking saw the young forward take another mark of the year contender early in the last, with George Horlin-Smith cutting the margin to just seven points in the first minute of the final quarter. Geelong would rally but Darcy Brown's third goal for Sandringham seemingly confirmed the result.
Two goals in the last three minutes of play reduced the margin to just four points. A Dom Gleeson free kick in the centre set up one last thrust. The veteran half-forward carefully and quickly spotted Casey Tutungi near the 50 metre line, however a Sandringham finger-tip spoil as the final siren rang out decided the result and typified Geelong's fortunes on the day. So close, yet so far.
After the game, Geelong assistant coach Max Rooke, despite the loss, adopted a pragmatic way of viewing the game.
"Obviously we all hate losing but I reckon we did a lot of things right. They [Sandringham] probably made the most of their opportunities a bit better and sometimes that's all it takes.
"Most of our guys made some simple mistakes and they ended up hurting us," Rooke said.
A common thread in Geelong's previous two losses in season 2012 (Werribee and Casey) has been the side's last quarter fade-outs. However, Rooke took solace in the Cat's ability to play a full four-quarters of football.
"We did fight it out pretty well, which is what we expect every time. We still thought we could win the game and that we should've won the game. And, we'll just have to keep working on a few things and use the next few weeks to work them [the players] really hard during the week [and] make sure we fix up a few things. Because I reckon the things we got wrong we should be able to fix up," he said.
Dawson Simpson was untroubled in his return game, alternating with VFL ruckman Andrew Banjanin.
"He's been through a lot of hard work and it's taken a long time. So it was just great to see him get through the game pretty much unscathed," Rooke noted.
The assistant coach attributed the loss to a lapse in the fundamentals, affirming that a return to a "basics" type structure will benefit the young side.
"We can't ever shy away from the basics. I know it's pretty boring but still most of them are still pretty young. First, second, third year guys. At the end of the day it comes back to that a fair bit."
Additionally, in encouraging news for Geelong fans, young forward Daniel Menzel's return from an ACL injury via the VFL appears closer.
"Dan's been training really well the last week or two and I think they're [senior coaches] still going to hold him back for a couple more [weeks] just to make sure. But it will be really exciting when we get him back, he looks really fit," Rooke said.
The narrow loss proves costly with Geelong falling to seventh on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder. The Cats return home this week to take on North Ballarat in an AFL curtain raiser in round 10.
Last Modified on 30/05/2012 17:25