That’ll do it! Luke Dahlhaus’s last quarter goal assures a Geelong victory over West Coast. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Geelong’s semi-final win over West Coast is one of the Cats’ most significant victories for a long time.
It goes without saying that had the Cats exited another finals series in straight sets, the first top team to do so since North Melbourne in 1983, all hell would have broken loose among an increasingly frustrated support base.
Instead, their team is still some sort of flag chance, through to a fourth preliminary final since its last premiership in 2011.
But the Cats can go into that playoff for a grand final berth also with some invaluable first-hand experience, now for a second week in a row, of one of the great September maxims – that a good start is half the battle.
Last week, Geelong conceded its opponent one and just couldn’t make up sufficient ground. This time it was the Cats who got the jump. They were reeled in by an opponent which hadn’t just woken from its slumber, but was by late in the third term, flying.
But that took considerable effort out of West Coast. When it came down to a final 30 minutes of slog, it was the fast starter which had more left to give, four goals to nil in the final term sealing the 20-point win.
Geelong had helped dig its own grave this time a week ago with its slovenly start against the Magpies, conceding three goals to nothing in the first 10 minutes. This was a complete role reversal.
Tom Hawkins, goalless for the past three games, had his first in this one in under three minutes after getting free in a forward-pocket.
Before five minutes had ticked over, Geelong had two after a howler from the usually dependable Eagle defender Jeremy McGovern, the All-Australian dropping a sitter of a mark and Tom Atkins gratefully seizing on the resultant spills.
Then before the 10-minute mark, another McGovern fly saw the ball fall to Tim Kelly, who burnt off any would-be opponents around the boundary line and raced in for the Cats’ third. It could have been more, too, Mark Blicavs missing a relatively easy shot on the run.
West Coast made hard work of its opener, Jack Darling very nearly failing to get boot to ball at all for a simple goal square tap-in. And that didn’t spark an immediate revival, either, Esava Ratugolea then booting two goals f rom two strong grabs.
When Hawkins kicked Geelong’s first of the second term, it was out to 31 points the difference with West Coast in all sorts. Gryan Miers’ “poster” might even have made it a bridge too far well before half-time.
But like they had on grand final day last year, the Eagles began to gradually work their way back into the contest.
The uncontested marks which the Cats had so skilfully denied them early began to be found. West Coast’s ball movement went from the panic-stricken turnover-fest of the first term to a much more assured finding of targets further afield. And soon enough, the goals started coming.
Liam Ryan got it back under five goals from a free kick. Darling kicked his second. Chris Masten snapped another after some brilliant work from Elliot Yeo to win a hard midfield ball.
It was back to only 10 points the difference at half-time, West Coast with more than just a sniff now. And the Eagles had the scent of a preliminary final berth very much in their nostrils by the time they’d kicked their fourth straight goal after half-time.
Darling ran in for his third goal after being found deep in a forward-pocket by a beautiful pass from Liam Ryan.
Andrew Gaff, his usual prolific self, managed two goals within three minutes, the first coming after he’d already thumped a centre clearance his side’s way and still had time to make his way inside 50 for a shot, the second from a mark and lovely conversion right on the 50-metre arc.
Ruckman Tom Hickey weighed in, courtesy of a free kick and 50-metre penalty conceded by the Cats’ Sam Menegola for not returning the ball correctly.
Those are the sorts of errors which lose finals, and Menegola, not having he greatest of nights, also managed to miss an important shot before the final change. West Coast had the momentum and the efficiency and after Josh Kennedy’s only goal of the evening, the three-quarter time lead.
It appeared all set up for the Eagles. Instead, that was about it for the premiership defence.
Geelong had sagged back into defence as West Coast regained the initiative with uncontested marks and possessions. But now the Cats pushed up hard again.
Hawkins marked on the goal line and snapped successfully after Geelong won the first clearance of the last term. Now the Cats led once more.
Patrick Dangerfield, very subdued with just 11 possessions to the final change, sensed the “now or never” moment and began to get some big touches. The prolific Cam Guthrie banged the ball inside 50 and somehow defender Jed Bews snuck into the clear, gathered and snapped truly.
Nine minutes into the term, the Cats still led by only eight points, but ominously had gone inside 50 seven times to their opponents’ zero.
When Hawkins out-bustled Tom Barrass and booted his fourth goal, the margin had become 14 points. There was still more than 11 minutes remaining, but surprisingly, the Eagles already looked out of juice.
And thus it transpired, Luke Dahlhaus hammering the final nail in the West Coast coffin, the Eagles held to just one behind in what would be the last quarter of their season, a disappointing end to a campaign which was extinguished as quickly as it had appeared to be gathering steam.
Geelong had come home like a train. The Cats almost doubled West Coast for final term disposals. They had nearly 20 more contested possession wins in that quarter, 36 more uncontested possessions and dominated the inside 50s 19-6.
The Eagles had run themselves ragged trying to get back in the contest. The Cats had made the running, weathered the storm intact, and simply had more to give when it mattered most.
Geelong has several times in modern day finals, and as recently as last week, paid a significant price for not being sufficiently switched on. At least now the Cats, as they prepare to take on Richmond for a grand final berth, know just what a difference being on the right side of that ledger can make.
GEELONG 5.2 7.3 9.9 13.10 (88)
WEST COAST 1.1 5.5 10.7 10.8 (68)
GOALS – Geelong: Hawkins 4, Ratugolea 3, Kelly 2, Atkins, Selwood, Bews, Dahlhaus. West Coast: Darling 3, Gaff 2, Petruccelle, Ryan, Hickey, Masten, Kennedy
BEST – Geelong: Selwood, Guthrie, Ratugolea, Hawkins, Tuohy, Menegola. West Coast: Gaff, Hurn, Darling, Naitanui, Yeo, Jetta.
UMPIRES: Stephens, Nicholls, Meredith
CROWD: 51,813 at the MCG
