GREAT ESCAPE FOR UNDERMANNED CATS, SKIPPER SELWOOD KO'D IN OPENING MINUTE
Ben Jensen 25 June 2017

AFL ROUND 14 2017, GEELONG CATS V FREMANTLE DOCKERS GEELONG came from behind to better the Fremantle Dockers this afternoon with just one player on the interchange. Inspirational skipper Joel Selwood was knocked out in the opening minute of the game, after clashing heads with Hayden Ballantyne who played his first match of the season, not before collecting one stat a handball. First-season defender Tom Stewart was also forced from the field before half-time, ending up in hospital with a facial fracture. Selwood appeared out for all money but managed to wave off the stretcher and ran from the field, though sanity prevailed and he took no further part in the match. Before the bounce there was one change for the Cats, Jordan Cunico missing out on game number two with Jordan Murdoch earning a reprieve. The Cats went on to have a bit of a stinker, the Dockers leading by eight goals to four at half-time, Stewart one of Geelong's best to that point suffered what appeared to be an eye injury, later confirmed as a fracture, not long before half-time and like Selwood played no further part in the match.

Next to be ruled out was Darcy Lang in the third quarter, the Cats that quarter making full use of the heavy wind to the Belmont Watchhouse (south) end outscoring the Dockers four goals to two, cutting the deficit to 19 points. Crucially Patrick Dangerfield had a shot from a mile out as the three-quarter time siren rang, the ball making it to the edge of the goalsquare, the touched ball rolling through for a behind - a handy point noted the K Rock commentary box.

A Geelong win still looked an ask however, but two goals from James Parsons in the first five minutes of the final term put the Cats well and truly in with a chance, the Dockers just seven points ahead. The Cats' third and the final goal of the quarter and the game put the Cats up by five points, Hawkins kicking his first of the day after struggling for much of it. He kicked a behind before and after this, as did ex-Cat Shane Kersten, Rhys Stanley and Mitch Duncan. The next eight minutes neither side would score, until Michael Walters found his chance to win the match off his own boot with literally seconds to go. Walters had the ball on a string for much of the game but bottled this attempt, managing only a behind. When the siren sounded it was like after a final, players all fell to the ground and it was hard to tell who had won.

Geelong had a lot of ordinary players in that first half but the effort to come back in the second two and then three men down has to be recognised. Stewart was up there with Geelong's best in the first half, but Patrick Dangerfield was the pick of the lot and attracted incredibly physical attention all game- at one point Walters leaped into Dangerfield who was head-first into the turf, Walters' knee intentionally digging into Dangerfield's gluteus region. Lesser lights such as Jed Bews, Tom Lonergan and in our opinion Mark Blicavs put in their best efforts and helped claw the Cats to victory. Parsons has had a quite month and a relatively quiet day then bobbed up for two goals in the final term Mitch Duncan and Dan Menzel also stood tall - Menzel kicking three goals.

There were plenty of good Fremantle players, many of them playing their first games in Geelong.

The VFL side had a very good win over North Ballarat in Ballarat, winning by 49 points. The VFL Women's side playing on the St Mary's ground known as Anthony Costa Oval had a bit of a shocker scoring just 20 points, defeated by the Melbourne University side by 36 points.

Next weekend, round 15, the Cats travel to Sydney to play top-placed GWS Giants on Saturday night at Spotless Stadium, a fairly big win required to dislodge the GWS who have a superior percentage (120.5%) to the Cats' 114%. Scott Selwood whose hamstring was again twinged or twanged today may keep him out of the trip, while brother Joel may well travel to Sydney but not play. Tom Stewart is unlikely to play at all.

GEELONG: 2.0, 4.5, 7.9, 10.14 (74) DEFEATED
FREMANTLE: 1.1, 8.3, 11.4, 11.6 (72)

GOALS
GEELONG: Menzel 3, Touhy 2, Parsons 2, Hawkins, Motlop, Menegola
FREMANTLE: Tucker 3, Ballantyne 2, Walters 2, Neale, B Hill, McCarthy, Suban

BEST
GEELONG: Dangerfield, Tuohy, Lonergan, Menzel, Duncan
FREMANTLE: Dangerfield, Tuohy, Lonergan, Menzel, Duncan

INJURIES
GEELONG: Joel Selwood (concussion), Tom Stewart (eye), Darcy Lang (leg), Scott Selwood (hamstring tightness)
FREMANTLE: Hayden Ballantyne (foot), Bradley Hill (leg)

CHANGES
GEELONG: Jordan Cunico replaced in selected side by Jordan Murdoch
FREMANTLE: Nil

UMPIRES:
FIELD: S Hay, D Harris, S Ryan EM: J Howorth
BOUNDARY: D Tee, B Macdonald, G Bergrowth, M Marantelli
GOAL: M Dervan, S Piperno EM: M Maclure

CROWD: 29,928, Simonds Stadium, Kardinia Park, Geelong