It's Business As Usual For Cats

The Age

Saturday May 31, 2008

By Martin Boulton

GEELONG's stunning 86-point loss to Collingwood was only the second time the premier had tasted defeat in 29 games, but the warning bells were ringing weeks ago.

In his post-match press conference last Friday night, coach Mark Thompson was his usual, unflappable self, declaring his side simply had a bad night and the focus would immediately shift to tonight's clash with the Blues at Telstra Dome.

But after stumbling to a 48-point half-time deficit and finishing the match on the wrong side of an 85-49 tackle count, Thompson drew the conclusion "there wasn't many positives" and nobody was happy.

He also made the point that opposition sides had "come at us" and tried to unsettle the Cats with fierce pressure and tackling.

Geelong's football operations manager, Neil Balme, said the players were clearly acting in a "reactive way" compared with last year.

"In a lot of ways, we've probably been waiting to see what the other team serves up - not consciously, but subconsciously - then reacting to that and doing as much as we can to win," he said.

"The approach last year would have been to play our game, to go at it as hard as we could, and that's the style we need to get back to now."

Having accepted that it never had control against the Magpies, it was business as usual for a team that increasingly reflects Thompson's own rational, level-headed approach to winning and losing.

"I don't worry," was the coach's quip recently.

Just as Richmond's No. 2 draft pick Trent Cotchin did a fortnight ago, Carlton midfielder Dennis Armfield will make his AFL debut against the Cats.

Unlike the young Tiger, Armfield faces a Geelong side stung by a humiliating defeat and bolstered by the return of premiership stars Brad Ottens and Max Rooke.

Between them, Ottens and Rooke bring almost 300 games of AFL experience back into the Geelong side - not bad the week after a loss.

Balme played down Ottens' return for his first game this season, but left little doubt the All-Australian's inclusion was a significant psychological boost for the side.

"He's just one player, but he's a pretty good player," he said.

© 2008 The Age

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