By Luke Voogt
Geelong’s clash with Melbourne on Saturday night is much bigger than a milestone game for Mark Blicavs with the Cats fighting for the minor premiership.
“I’m very excited for this week’s game, not only because it’s my 200th but it’s a chance for us to get top spot and … really push the momentum going into finals,” he said.
“I’m trying to not think too much about it. I think it’s something post-career I’ll look back more fondly on.”
But the Cats utility took a little time during Tuesday’s press conference to remember wrestling tall defenders, like the legendary Matthew Scarlett, in marking contests during his first training drills almost a decade ago.
“I just couldn’t believe how physically-strong [they] were, and I was 79-80 kilos thinking, ‘oh wow, what have I done here?’” he said.
“To play with all of these legends of the game and to get to the stage where I am now, it’s something I try not to take not for granted each day.”
The former steeple-chaser and middle distance runner worked hard on his kicking and marking after switching from athletics to football and deciding “I’d better give this my all”.
“Initially I just got to the club and wanted to prove people who thought I couldn’t do it wrong,” he said.
Unsurprisingly, he excelled in his first time trial at the club, lapping the field including “fitness freaks” Joel Selwood and former Cat Josh walker at Landy Field.
“I was never thinking to pull back at all. I wanted to win by as much as I [could] to show that I could run,” he said.
“That’s what I’ve tried to be my whole career – just really competitive – and push myself as much as I can, and hopefully that pushes others as well.”
The 30-year-old reckons his athletics background also helped him avoid injury throughout his football career.
“I think it helped me build resilience in my body which has allowed me to play 20-plus games every season,” he said.
“I’ve had injuries due to big hits or tackles, but any soft tissue type stuff – touch wood – I’ve been lucky.”
Unfortunately for the Cats, Blicavs will have to play his 200th without backline comrade Tom Stewart, who underwent surgery this week for a foot injury.
“It sucks. I’m personally really sad, we all are,” Blicavs said.
“It’s bad timing, he’s a superstar player, who is having … in my opinion another All-Australian year, and [he is] one of our most important players.”
Scarlett, now the Cats’ backline coach, called on his defenders to “all step up” and collectively fill the “massive void” left by Stewart’s injury, according to Blicavs.
“We can’t replace him because he’s a pretty unique player,” Blicavs said.
“But we can all defend a bit better, attack the ball a bit better, and that’s what Scarlo’s asked of us and we’re training like that.
“I don’t think it’s one player that can step up dramatically. I think it’s a lot of players that just need to fine tune a little bit.”
Blicavs said he would likely “play a lot more behind the ball” than in the ruck, on-ball or on the wing, at least initially as the Cats adjust.
Wingers Isaac Smith and Sam Menegola had set the example for Geelong’s midfielders in getting back to help out their defenders, he added.
“We demand everyone to come back and help in [defensive] 50.”
