By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
AFTER Geelong’s mauling of the Lions, the clash with a suspension-weakened Essendon is being seen widely as another percentage booster.
On paper it should be, but the topsy-turvy start to the season has teams – and coaches in particular – wary.
It used to be that if sides were 10 per cent off they would get rolled, but that seems to have reduced to five per cent in the opinion of Cats veteran Jimmy Bartel.
“You’ve got to respect everyone. We’ve already seen that if you’re off by five per cent, you get beaten,” Bartel observed this week.
As proof, Essendon surprised Melbourne in round two with a fighting win, even though normal service resumed last week with a thumping at the hands of Port Adelaide.
Coach Chris Scott also sees the league table as unsettled after three rounds, with even the teams with no wins to their name yet capable of rising.
Nevertheless, Essendon presents a significant opportunity for Geelong, even though former team-mates will be pitted against each other for the third week in a row.
Mathew Stokes and James Kelly have been solid performers for the Bombers, although still strange sights in the red and black.
Even though the game is a Saturday afternoon at the MCG, it is being billed as a country clash, dreamed up by master spruiker Kevin Sheedy to help bolster the ailing Essendon.
It could get ugly, with the Cats averaging 105 points a game while conceding only 77 this season, while the Bombers have averaged just 63 points a game and have conceded 100 points each week.
Scott’s constant message to his players is that they need to take responsibility for being up for each game, even though human nature dictates that is impossible every time.
Scott also takes little notice of form lines over the season, citing the differences between teams that have occurred in the meantime.
But again human nature proves time and time again that confidence can originate from a multitude of sources, including recent records.
Geelong has dominated Essendon since the 2012 season, winning the past four games and 10 of the past 11. Six of those wins were 50 points or more.
The key for the Cats will be to witness the continued improvement of the cohesion of the midfield group.
For Scott, that means the development of Josh Caddy, Cam Guthrie and Mitch Duncan as much as stars Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield.
The coaches know what the stars will provide on a regular basis but an opportunity to instil a form line for the rest of the midfield group will be invaluable.
