Two weeks removed from the Eagles’ first win of the season, they faced a resurgent Geelong team, which is fresh off an impressive win over the Western Bulldogs. Despite the Eagles’ home ground advantage, Geelong did most of the attacking early, and they kicked the first goal of the game through Jeremy Cameron, though West Coast would counter quickly through Oscar Allen, before Geelong could build a bigger buffer.
The game continued to be tight in the first quarter, largely due to Geelong’s inaccuracy. The teams would go into the first break with the Eagles down by 15 points, with West Coast kicking two goals straight compared to 4.5 for the Cats.
Geelong started the second quarter with a bang, kicking the first two goals within the first couple of minutes through Bailey Smith and Brad Close to extend the lead out to 27 points, and things started to look bleak. The Eagles and the Cats then traded goals through Oscar Allen and Oliver Henry before the Eagles kicked three consecutive goals to bring the margin back to 12 points.
There was a pulse.
After trading the final goals of the half, the Cats went into the halftime break with an 11-point lead, and it genuinely felt like it was game on.
Geelong continued to have issues with accuracy in the third quarter, but the Eagles had greater issues with their ball movement, struggling to move the ball into their forward half for the start of the second half. Shaun Mannagh finally broke the goal drought in the second half before Henry kicked his second goal to extend the Cats’ lead out to 25 points.
Again, the momentum shifted to the Cats, and it would take a huge effort from the Eagles to hang in there. Again, though, they did!
The Eagles finally got their first mark inside forward 50 through Ryan Maric, whose shanked kick almost resulted in a goal of the year contender from Eagles forward Jack Williams. The Eagles scored their first goal of the second half through Oscar Allen, who crumbed his own marking contest to kick his fourth goal of the game.
Liam Ryan then kicked the Eagles’ second goal in a row to bring the margin back to 11 points again after drawing a high tackle from Tom Stewart. For the remainder of the third quarter, both teams struggled to use the football effectively, with even the Cats unable to find a way to break through the Eagles’ flood of players. As a result, the Cats took their 11-point lead into the final break.
Elijah Hewett kicked the first goal of the fourth quarter to bring the margin within a single kick after roving a boundary throw-in. At this stage, the West Coast crowd was feeling pumped, and they could sense a huge upset brewing. However, this is Geelong. Have you heard about them? The greatest team of all, apparently – their own theme song says it!
Oliver Dempsey and Noah Long both had chances to kick easy goals for their respective teams, before Dempsey made the most of his second opportunity, snapping a goal after collecting a bobbling ball in the Cats’ forward 50 to extend the lead back to 2 goals.
Tyson Stengle then made the margin 18 points, crumbing a contest between Ginbey and Cameron. Dempsey then made an important spoil in defence that rushed a shot on goal from Dewar through for a behind. Rhys Stanley then took a contested mark and snapped truly to again extend the margin past 20 points.
The Eagles then drew a goal back after Jack Williams kicked a goal from a set shot, but Jeremy Cameron kicked his second goal of the game to nullify Williams’ goal. Oliver Henry then had everyone fooled after a 50-metre penalty to find Jeremy Cameron in the pocket, and Cameron kicked his third goal of the game, sealing the result and extending his lead in the Coleman medal.
Cameron then kicked his fourth goal with two minutes remaining in the game as the Cats brought out their party tricks. Cameron then kicked his fifth goal of the game after Mitch Duncan delivered an unstoppable low kick to find Cameron on a lead. The Cats would eventually run out 43-point winners after dominating the last quarter, where they kicked seven goals to two.
Big Forwards kicking Bags
At the end of the game, Jeremy Cameron and Oscar Allen had nine goals between them. Allan kicked his goals early, when the Eagles were well and truly up for the contest, while Cameron converted the majority of his opportunities in junk time when Geelong began to carve up the inexperienced Eagles’ defence.
Cameron had been well held by Ginbey for most of the game, and he even admitted as much in the post-game interview. For Allen, his opportunities dried up as the Geelong defence finally found its structure in the second half.
CVameron’s late surge of goals kind of wallpapered over what was a fantastic defensive effort from Ginbey up until that point. Able to match Cameron for pace, the young defender was also strong in body-to-body contests, and more than held his own until the floodgates opened late in the game. The record will say Jezza kicked five and had a great game, but that does Ginbey a huge disservice.
I suppose it comes down to perspective. Did Cameron bolster his numbers in junk time? Or did he play to the final siren and Ginbey fell away?
Inaccurate Cats kept the Eagles alive
The Cats are perhaps lucky that they were playing the Eagles this week. For most of the game, the Cats were uncharacteristically inaccurate both around the ground and in front of goals. Geelong went at 50% at goal until the last quarter and regularly missed targets that allowed the Eagles to stay in the game.
If the Cats had been playing a better team, they may have paid a higher price for their mistakes. Instead, the Cats maintained a slim lead before powering away in the final quarter, where they were able to ice the game. In the end, the 43-point win was a flattering result and largely due to their efforts in the last quarter rather than an apt summary for most of the game.
Bailey Smith continues to star
What can be said about new cat Bailey Smith that hasn’t already been written hundreds of times this season? He has 13 toes? He bathes in vinegar? Pretty sure they haven’t been said. The former Bulldog was again impressive, ending the game with 38 possessions, five clearances, four tackles, and a goal. While there is stiff competition, Smith continues to cement himself as the recruit of the season.
Not only has Smith’s first season in Geelong’s hoops been impressive, but the midfielder is one of the favourites to win the Brownlow Medal. Not bad for his first year at a new club.
The month ahead
Geelong now heads back home and will host Gold Coast at GMHBA Stadium next week in a crunch game with both sides battling for spots in the top 8. Geelong then play Essendon at the MCG in round 14, then return to Geelong to face the reigning premiers in the Brisbane Lions. Geelong will then finish the next month with the bye ahead of an important run home.
The West Coast Eagles face North Melbourne at Hands Oval next week in a game where the Eagles should be a chance. The Eagles then remain in Western Australia to host Carlton at Optus Stadium. Given how average North and Carlton have been, the Eagles could easily win one of those games ahead of their bye. The Eagles then finish their month with a big game against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium to round off their month.
Editor’s notes
Hey all, HB here.
I had a bit of time to myself last night and kept a close eye on this game, as well. Thought I’d add a few notes on top of Edan’s review.
– Elijah Hewett will be a player for the Eagles. Teams that are rebuilding need to see bright spots from their kids, and Hewett has displayed a few this season. This game was no exception.
– That fend from Harley Reid against Mark O’Connor… far out! He has just turned 20 and is overpowering a bloke with a heap of pre-seasons behind him. The power is incredible.
– Note to West Coast players – do not attempt to break Tom Atkins’ tackles. Just… don’t. This was his seventh game of the year with 10+ tackles. The bloke is a beast.
– That’s the best I’ve seen Liam Baker look for the Eagles. He has been good, but he was great in this one. Still fearless, but his kicking was a lot better, too.
– Glad to see Connor O’Sullivan back and in form. 1 intercept possessions for him as he continues to establish himself as the next big thing in Geelong’s defence. Bloody Cats supporters in our Mongrel team were calling this in the off-season, as well, and I was hoping they’d be wrong. They were right… damn them.
– A couple of really good moments from Matt Flynn in this one, including back-to-back contested marks to open the game up for the Eagles in the third.
– Ollie Dempsey is such a star in the making. I know it’s easy to say that now, as he continues to kick goals, but I have been yapping it up about him for over a year as the best offensive wingman in the game. And there he was in this game, getting back on the last line to make a vital spoil, as well. That’s the step I want to see more often from him. Bravo, young man.
– I wonder when Ollie Henry will start playing like he means it? Seems to be in cruise control at the moment, and could be a major key to September, if he finds his passion at the right time.
That’ll do for me. Sorry for jumping in, Edan – didn’t want to write my own article.
