CATS' SEASON TO BEGIN THIS THURSDAY
Ben Jensen 16 March 2014

AFL 2014 ROUND 1 GEELONG CATS V ADELAIDE CROWS GEELONG hosts Adelaide at Simonds Stadium this Thursday night, yes, Thursday night, in the second week of the first round of the 2014 AFL season. For reasons we're yet to hear about the game is being played under lights midweek, which is sure to result in a much smaller crowd considering a large chunk if not the largest chunk of Geelong's membership is Melbourne-based and presumably many have to work the next day.

Skipper Joel Selwood and ruckman Hamish McIntosh are set to play while AFL hopeful Shane Kersten will unfortunately miss at least half the season with a knee issue. Selwood, just 25 with 160 games and three AFL premierships to his name, pulled up with a minor hamstring complaint in a practice game against Melbourne in Alice Springs. Already on the long term injury list are Nathan Vardy, Daniel Menzel and Allen Christensen.

Mark Blicavs, who despite playing almost every game in 2013 continues as a Rookie in 2014, has been elevated to the main list in place of Vardy. Christensen has a back complaint that may sideline him as long as round 14, Vardy a season-ending knee injury while Menzel is hopefully of resuming his stop-start career in a couple months. The other big name Cat missing is Steven Motlop, another victim to a knee injury with another four to five weeks on the sidelines.

Back to the timing of the game one only hopes the club gets a decent crowd and if not the AFL heeds the lesson and considers the paying membership not just the TV rights holders in future fixturing decisions. In other off-field news Geelong boss Brian Cook, hitherto not mentioned at all in dispatches when considering who may in be line to replace outgoing AFL chief Andrew Demetriou, was thrown up as an option by the Geelong Advertiser today. Cook all but downplayed his chances but confirmed he would 'consider' an offer should it be forthcoming. Cook has served the club with distinction since 1999.

GEELONG DRAW AFL SEASON 2014