CATS STRUGGLE AGAINST BUT OVERCOME DEMONS, REMAIN UNDEFEATED
Ben Jensen 8 April 2017

AFL ROUND 3 2017, GEELONG CATS V MELBOURNE DEMONS GEELONG started off very well but struggled to hold off a determined Melbourne side who finally snatched the lead in the third quarter, but four goals in a row, the last two of the third term and first two of the last, were enough to shake the Demons off. The Cats conceded one goal to the Dees about five minutes into the final term but from then on absolutely belted them. A lot didn't work for the Cats such as having Harry Taylor up forward again but the absolute positives for the Cats were their good start (we often have a shocker and play catch-up football!), performance up forward by Dan Menzel and Tom Hawkins, Brandan Parfitt in his third game, and of course further commanding performances from Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood. And then there is the accuracy, of course if the Demons had of kicked better in the third quarter the Cats may have been 30 points behind but they didn't; the Cats were deadly accurate, twenty goals six behinds to the Demons' thirteen nineteen.

Lachie Henderson was taken off the field into the rooms for a concussion assessment in the third quarter but returned soon after - but copped another knock to the face in the final quarter so may be under a cloud for next week. Selwood was barroled into by Demon Tom McDonald after taking a mark on the wing with six minutes to go, the 50m penalty easing the pain somewhat but Selwood really took some deep beaths before slotting the goal, more or less the sealer, from just inside fifty well over a minute later. Dangerfield spent some time off the field having attention on the right side of his groin just after the Selwood incident but should be OK.

GEELONG: 5.2, 9.2, 14.2, 20.6 (126) DEFEATED
MELBOURNE: 2.4, 7.11, 12.17, 13.19 (97)

GOALS
GEELONG: Hawkins 5, Menzel 4, Dangerfield 3, Blicavs 2, Motlop 2, Smith, Selwood, McCarthy, Parfitt
MELBOURNE: Watts 2, Kent 2, Jetta, Hannan, Smith, Harnes, Neal-Bullen, Petracca, Garlett, Hunt, Garlett

BEST
GEELONG: J.Selwood, Dangerfield, Menzel, Hawkins, Blicavs, Ruggles, Parfitt
MELBOURNE: Jones, Hunt, Watts, Viney, Stretch, Neal-Bullen, Kent

INJURIES
GEELONG: J.Selwood (cut head), Hawkins (corked quad)
MELBOURNE: Gawn (right hamstring), Kent (cut head)

CHANGES
GEELONG: Nil
MELBOURNE: Nil

REPORTS
GEELONG: Nil
MELBOURNE: Nil

UMPIRES: Hosking, Mollison, Ryan

CROWD: 29,733 at Ethihad Stadium, Melbourne Docklands

YOUNG OSCAR POINTS OUT HIS FAVOURITE PLAYER, NUMBER 26 (TOM HAWKINS)