Chaos football beat control football at the Adelaide Oval as Geelong finally met its match this season against Port Adelaide.
The ball pin-balled around in contests and it fell Port Adelaide’s way more often than not.
Geelong tried to control the tempo by locking the ball in its forward line, a strategy which worked well in the half, except for one crucial aspect.
A string of behinds that should have been goals saw Geelong hand over the power in a game it had been dominating to its opponents.
And once momentum was lost, like a force of nature, Geelong found itself powerless to regain it.
What part any letdown from the big Easter Monday clash against Hawthorn played in the drubbing is unknown to any but the players and coaches.
But whatever the reason, the usual Geelong response was not forthcoming.
As the game progressed Port Adelaide’s run did not slow while Geelong’s chase faded.
Port employed some interesting tactics, with former Geelong assistant coach Ken Hinkley doing his homework.
In the ruck, Hamish Macintosh was nullified by Mathew Lobbe using a subtle push before jumping for the ball, ensuring it stayed within the confines of the scrum.
Geelong contributed with a number of most un-Cats-like skill errors, such as dropped marks and handballs astray.
Port’s forward line was as open as Geelong’s was congested, leading to its goals becoming much easier to score.
Coach Chris Scott admitted the game plan and game management contributed significantly to the loss.
The Cats did not train on Adelaide Oval before the game, as most sides would do, especially at a new venue.
“We thought we were ready, we had a few issues, as game went on as well. We weren’t able to put pressure on them or take our opportunities,” Scott observed.
“It is demoralising when you blow chances at one end and get opened up at the other end. In the second quarter we were well and truly on top and couldn’t capitalise.
“I even said this to the players this at half time, we made some real blues in the coaches box, in the preparation a little bit, but also not reacting to certain things.
“We’ll make sure we review our performance really strongly as well, because if I had to choose right now I’d be saying its more my fault than the players.”
