By Justin Flynn
Geelong recruit Zach Tuohy will line up against his old side Carlton when the two sides clash at Etihad Stadium tomorrow night.
Tuohy has been a revelation for the Cats this season, averaging 25 disposals per game.
“Zach’s had a great year, he’s been really important for us,” coach Chris Scott yesterday.
“We’re certainly a better team for having Zach in the 22.”
Geelong was soundly beaten by Adelaide in the last round and Scott said the final margin of 21 points “flattered” his side.
The Cats retained second spot on the ladder, half a game clear of GWS and Richmond and six points clear of Port Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
The 16th-placed Blues have been better than their five wins suggest although without midfield duo Patrick Cripps and Ed Curnow they have stalled in recent weeks, which culminated with a 30-point loss to bottom side Brisbane last Sunday.
Still, Scott is not banking the four points from this clash just yet.
“Carlton presents some challenges on that front,” he said.
Scott said Harry Taylor will continue to drift between attack and defence for the rest of the season, depending on match ups.
Taylor booted five goals last weekend.
“We anticipate him playing both ends of the ground depending on the circumstances,” he said.
“Five in a half last week was a pretty good effort when we were struggling to score.”
Tom Hawkins’ form has been down of late, but Scott backed his spearhead to regain form.
Hawkins has 37 goals this season
“We’re really optimistic that he’s going to play a big part in the rest of our season,” he said.
“We acknowledge the fact that we need him to be.”
Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer looms as a major headache for Scott.
The injury prone big man is enjoying his best season and has rocketed into All Australian calculations.
An ankle injury to Mark Blicavs, which will see him sidelined for at least the next few weeks, means Kreuzer could dominate although Scott said Blicavs’ role this year was more of a swingman rather than a straight ruckman.
The Blues will need more from Bryce Gibbs who gathered just eight disposals last week after being tagged by Tom Rockliff.
With the absence of young gun Cripps, Gibbs, Marc Murphy and former Adelaide player Matthew Wright they need to get plenty of the ball to get Carlton anywhere near victory.
The Cats should win comfortably with more midfield class thanks to Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood and Mitch Duncan, who welcomed the birth of his first child this week with partner Demi.
Geelong by 45 points.
