Geelong Cats v Western Bulldogs
Saturday 18 July, 2015
1:45pm, Simonds Stadium
One of the powerhouses of the competition of the last ten years have by their own admission, somewhat dropped below their standards in 2015, currently sitting 11th on the AFL ladder.
Most are still wary to write off Geelong, with names like Taylor, Enright, Bartel, Johnson and Kelly still in the line-up.
The Cats young brigade has stepped up in 2015, with Josh Caddy, Jed Bews, Cameron Guthrie and Cory Gregson, amongst others, maintaining solid form this season.
While they have lacked consistency this year, their form of recent years at Simonds Stadium cannot be overlooked and the Dogs face a major challenge in heading down the highway.
Captain Joel Selwood accepted a one match ban earlier in the week and will miss the match.
Geelong Key Stats
- #1 in league for stoppages (296)
- #5 in league for disposal efficiency (73.5%)
- #5 in league for contested marks (152)
- #9 in league for goal assists (122)
Players to Watch
Tom Hawkins
While the number of goals from Hawkins has been significantly less than previous years, the danger of the Cats’ big man cannot be denied. The Dogs back half will have their hands full, with Hawkins still leading the competition for contested marks, and sitting 14th for marks inside 50.
Mark Blicavs
At 198cm, Blicavs has proven in 2015 that he is more than just an agile ruckman. The elite runner has spent time in the forward line, back half and in the midfield this season and is averaging 18 disposals per game, at 75 per cent efficiency. He is ninth in the competition for tackles, highlighting his ability both ways and has been one of the Cats’ biggest assets this year.
Head to Head
Western Bulldogs 55
Geelong 97
Draw 2
Last time we met
Geelong Cats 10.9 (69) defeated Western Bulldogs 7.14 (56) at Simonds Stadium, round 16 2014.
Geelong Cats last three games
R15 2015 – North Melbourne 18.12 (120) defeated Geelong Cats 11.13 (79)
R12 2015 – Melbourne 18.5 (113) defeated Geelong Cats 13.11 (89)
R11 2015 – Geelong 14.8 (92) defeated Port Adelaide 11.3 (69)
