By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG’S season crossroads has arrived.
Losses to lower teams either side of a 20-day break and this weekend’s threat of a resurgent Western Bulldogs have the Cats collared.
And they face their moment of truth without their best player and skipper, Joel Selwood.
It’s been coming for some time. The level of frustration felt inside the Cattery was heading toward the red line for weeks.
Selwood has been fighting a losing battle during that time and the level of impotence is enormously frustrating for player of his calibre. Tom Hawkins is in the same box.
It’s a position Geelong has not experienced much since its famous run to the first premiership in 2007.
Now it knows what it felt like for some of the teams it vanquished during that sustained period of brilliance.
The boot is on the other foot.
Coach Chris Scott was outwardly calm in his media conference this week but the vexation of the recent setbacks wasn’t far from the surface.
Asked about the Bulldogs’ impressive four-week run, Scott acknowledged a “good team” with an impressive defence and “some firepower offensively”.
“We’ve been inconsistent around the ball and at stoppages, so that’s going to be important,” he pointed out.
“But without showing any disrespect to the Bulldogs, we’ve got a few problems internally we need to arrest this week so frankly those things would be applicable irrespective of the opposition.
“The last two (games) have been very poor and we are embarrassed about it.
“The playing group is motived to do something about it.
“We had some individuals who were a bit down but prior we had been in good form.
“But if the poor performance continues we all get held accountable.”
Scott conceded Geelong’s free kick differential – the worst in the league – was an issue related to lack of discipline coupled with poor technique and closely linked to inadequate performances around the contest.
Geelong decided against appealing Selwood’s one-week suspension for rough conduct because it accepted the incident was not a “good look for the game”.
Scott said both coaches and Selwood considered it important to “support the ruling body’s decision in the interests of the game”.
“I think we have a responsibility to the game to accept the MRP’s ruling on that one and move on,“ Scott said.
“If that discourages that type of thing then I think we should play our part.“
