PREGAME: Rd 02 vs Geelong

[Demonland 70,600]

Round Two
Geelong v Melbourne
Saturday, March 30, 7.25pm AEDT
GMHBA Stadium

5.25pm: All gates open

As an away match, Memberships can not be used to gain access to this game.

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster.

Get Tickets

Public transport

GMHBA Stadium is located 450m from South Geelong train station, which is serviced by V/Line.

For timetables, visit the V/Line website.

Car parking

Limited paid public parking is available within the Kardinia Park Precinct on event days, with parking available in the surrounding streets (council restrictions enforced in public streets).

For the latest parking information, please visit the GMHBA Stadium website.

Road closures

To assist with public safety and access to the ground, Moorabool Street (from Fyans Street to Kilgour Street) will be closed to all traffic 90 minutes prior to the match.

A single lane along Moorabool Street will be open to allow traffic to run north to south 15 minutes after the start of the first quarter and will remain in place until the start of the last quarter.

The full road closure will then resume at approximately 9.45pm and will remain for up to 90 minutes post-game to allow patrons to exit the Stadium safely.

TV times

Melbourne: Channel 7 - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.20pm
Sydney: Fox Footy - 7.20pm
Brisbane: Channel 7 - 6.00pm + Fox Footy - 6.20pm
Adelaide: Fox Footy - 6.50pm
Perth: Fox Footy - 4.20pm
Tasmania: Channel 7 - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.20pm
Darwin: Channel 7 - 5.30pm + Fox Footy - 5.50pm

For all other regions and radio info, refer to the AFL Broadcast Guide.

Mobile app

Live scores, stats and match highlights are available at the tap of a finger in the club's mobile app.

Download it for iOS or Android.

Social media

Match hashtag: #AFLCatsDees

Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day.

The Casey Demons' VFL side will be taking on Geelong in a practice match earlier in the day in Werribee at Avalon Airport Oval.

If you're making the trip to Geelong and have some time to spare, stop by and watch Casey play from 11.00am.

REDEMPTION? by The Oracle

How much should we be making out of Melbourne’s opening round loss on its home ground against an unfancied team from interstate in Port Adelaide? 

The game was barely over before the excuses were coming out that about the lack of preparation of the team, the fact that some players were playing injured or unfit and unable to handle the humidity and the heat, the team’s lack of run and spread, the lack of experience and having too many key players injured or (in the case of Steven May) suspended. The resort to excuses or reasons for failure should not sit well in light of the fact that it was not that long ago when Melbourne was being strongly touted as a top four team, if not a strong contender for the flag.

There really will be no excuses this week with the game played at night (17 degrees and possible showers predicted), players returning from injury and big Maxy over the after effects of his minor skin surgery and the challenge of winning in Sleepy Hollow awaiting a team that will benefit from having the run of last week’s game out of its legs.

In many ways this will be a game of redemption for both sides. The Cats will be looking to redeem themselves for their humiliating exit from last year’s final series when they were overpowered early by the enthusiastic Demons while Melbourne will be looking to redeem itself for last week’s crushing loss where it was made to look slow and without any focus up forward. In fact, it has been horrific in front of goal in its last two matches - no goals in the entire first half of the Preliminary Final and none in more than a quarter and a half at the end of last week’s game. The club will also be looking to redeem itself for that nightmare after-the-siren defeat late last year at at GMHBA Stadium which put paid to its efforts to finish in the top four before the finals.

This week will be different with the long anticipated debut of Steven May who will no doubt be called upon to stop Tom Hawkins who was the match winner booting seven straight when the teams last met at this ground. The strength and aggression of the former Gold Coast skipper should certainly be significant after the limp efforts of the Demons’ key backs last week on the MCG.

And speaking of skippers, one would hope that Melbourne co-captains Nathan Jones and Jack Viney will provide the sort of leadership that was sorely lacking last week and led to a diminished output from the rest of the midfield. I expect Max Gawn to stand up strong and proud and for a much better midfield which faces the quality of Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Tim Kelly.

In the end however, the team is coming from a long way back on the basis of its lethargic performance against Port Adelaide and I fear that they aren’t ready yet to redeem themselves in the hostile territory of GMHBA Stadium.

Geelong by 10 points.

THE GAME

Geelong v Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday 30 March 2019 at 7.25pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Geelong 130 wins Melbourne 85 wins 2 draws
 
At  GMHBA Stadium Geelong 39 wins Melbourne 18 wins 1 draw
 
The last five meetings Geelong 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins
 
The Coaches Scott 3 wins Goodwin 1 win

MEDIA

TV -  Fox Footy Channel 7 live
 
RADIO -  ABC Triple M 3AW
 
LAST TIME THEY MET 

Melbourne 10.15.75 defeated Geelong 6.10.46 Elimination Final 2018 at the MCG

It was happy days for the Demons as they booted the first five goals for the game to hammer home an advantage through Max Gawn’s ruck dominance over the inexperienced Ryan Abbo tt provided silver service to the midfield led by Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw and full forward Sam Weideman delivered with three goals. Two quarters of inaccuracy in front of goal prevented a complete slaughter.

THE TEAMS

Round 2 Injury List:

Harry Petty (foot) – Test
Tim Smith (calf) – Test
Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – 1 - 2 weeks
Jordan Lewis (hamstring) – 2 - 3 weeks
Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – 4 - 6 weeks 
Joel Smith (groin) – TBA 
Mitch Hannan (knee) – 6-10 weeks
Jake Lever  (knee) – 6-10 weeks
Jay Kennedy Harris (knee) – 10-12 weeks
Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite 
Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season

[Demonland 70,600]

A likely story.

? | https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/no-surprises-likely-at-geelong-for-melbourne-s-max-gawn-20190327-p51809.html

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,505]

Dear Geelong Cats,

If you do beat us this week, can you please have the game wrapped up before the siren this time around.

Best regards,

MFC supporter.

 

[Jones 62]

Any chance for some positivity from Melbourne supporters?

How about getting behind the boys instead of acting like spoilt brats?

Yes Round 1 was disappointing but the last time we played Geelong we beat them in an Elimination final.

There is so much negativity going around atm from supporters it's quite ridiculous. 

It's round 2 FFS and we have a very important game coming up. Let's chuck the dummy out of the cot when it is Round 4 and we are 0-4.

[DeeZee 7,349]

I’ll reserve my judgement until after this game, I’ve seen too much of Melbourne over the years to have blind faith .

Saw some disturbing things over the last 4 games that don’t exactly instill me with confidence.

It could all be injury and fitness issues and I hope they can step up to the plate but those sorts of things don’t usually resolve themselves overnight 

[demon191919 60]

Could someone inform me about the general admission seating/ standing situation at GMHBA? I.e., what time I would need to arrive to get a seat?

[DubDee 24,803]

1 hour ago, DeeZee said:

I’ll reserve my judgement until after this game, I’ve seen too much of Melbourne over the years to have blind faith .

Saw some disturbing things over the last 4 games that don’t exactly instill me with confidence.

It could all be injury and fitness issues and I hope they can step up to the plate but those sorts of things don’t usually resolve themselves overnight 

what about the 4 games before that (beating WC, GWS, Cats, Hawks)?

we are a good team and we will come good. 

[What 18,810]

12 minutes ago, DubDee said:

 

we are a good team and we will come good. 

Yes, but it wont be this week.  Cats by 26.

We will get things started in Round 3 when we smash the drug cheats.

[dl4e 5,851]

There are 2 things that may favour us this weekend. The smaller ( wing size ) ground will limit the amount of outside carrying the ball. Secondly the new players at geelong are likely to be more down this week after last weeks heroics. I wouldn't be putting my house on that though.

Unfortunatley I think we will be waiting another week.

[MurDoc516 1,488]

I'm not sure what the result will be but i expect a better performance. Going 0-2 isn't great but i don't think it will be a not making finals problem. David King pointed out that the way the draw/results has worked out in round 1 has led to some teams with high expectations possibly starting 0-2. He also fully expects at least one 0-2 team to make the 8, maybe even 2. Personally, i'm not scared of Geelong. Pies looked a bit underdone themselves and if we perform close to our best i think we can beat them, even if we are still ramping up.

[Lucifers Hero 39,070]

An aspect of our 6-6-6 tactics backfired vs Port! 

For center bounces, our wingmen were positioned near the outside corners of the square leaving their opp around the middle on the outside.  When their inside midfielder won the hitout, he would handball to an unattended wingman, who had a defender running down the wing to accept a pass for an easy i50.  We  were chasing all day and several meters behind opps.  We played into Ports hands:  59 inside 50 for 27 scoring shots vs our 45 inside 50 for 16 scoring shots. 

On AFL 360 last night Lewis was asked why our midfield was smashed so badly.  Lewis said it was a little bit positioning but also lack of effort.  Unfortunately no-one asked him to elaborate on 'positioning'.  I reckon it was what I've described above.  Suspect our wingmen will stick to their opp this week.

Last week was our worst game in a long time for our midfield and the team and we are much better than that.  And we won't make the same mistakes as last week (I hope).

[Diamond_Jim 12,394]

11 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

An aspect of our 6-6-6 tactics backfired vs Port! 

For center bounces, our wingmen were positioned near the outside corners of the square leaving their opp around the middle on the outside.  When their inside midfielder won the hitout, he would handball to an unattended wingman, who had a defender running down the wing to accept a pass for an easy i50.  We  were chasing all day and several meters behind opps.  We played into Ports hands:  59 inside 50 for 27 scoring shots vs our 45 inside 50 for 16 scoring shots. 

On AFL 360 last night Lewis was asked why our midfield was smashed so badly.  Lewis said it was a little bit positioning but also lack of effort.  Unfortunately no-one asked him to elaborate on 'positioning'.  I reckon it was what I've described above.  Suspect our wingmen will stick to their opp this week.

Last week was our worst game in a long time for our midfield and the team and we are much better than that.  And we won't make the same mistakes as last week (I hope).

depends a lot upon whether you back yourself to win the clearance

[praha 11,220]

We'll kill them.

[david_neitz_is_my_dad 4,083]

Just saw the weather. Cold, wet and windy. That should suit us.

[Lucifers Hero 39,070]

14 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

depends a lot upon whether you back yourself to win the clearance

Correct but we didn't and can't see how we expected to with Max out of sorts and being bashed all over the place.  When we did win it our wingmen were sucked into the contest while their wingman stayed out and before long we had a turnover.  It seemed the day for more defensive set-ups, especially as we are 'slow on the outside' at the best of times.

More importantly, we didn't change tactics when it was obvious they weren't working.  Not enough respect paid to Port by coaches or players.

Edited March 27, 2019 by Lucifer's Hero

[DeeSpencer 24,969]

1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Correct but we didn't and can't see how we expected to with Max out of sorts and being bashed all over the place.  When we did win it our wingmen were sucked into the contest while their wingman stayed out and before long we had a turnover.  It seemed the day for more defensive set-ups, especially as we are 'slow on the outside' at the best of times.

More importantly, we didn't change tactics when it was obvious they weren't working.  Not enough respect paid to Port by coaches or players.

We won the centre clearances 15-9. I'd have to watch the replay to see what happened with the wingmen but setting them up defensive side to me looked like a plan to get them to room to go forward as well as defend rather than an unaccountable plan.

Only having 53 tackles as well as 183 to 276 uncontested possessions to me tells more of a story about the set ups and run around the ground than at clearances. 

Salem and Harmes were pretty much a 2 man team in terms of running and getting the ball back or holding up their opponents. Apart from one Corey Wagner chase down tackle the rest of the midfield and flanker group couldn't run with or hold up the opposition.

[Adam The God 29,680]

2 hours ago, david_neitz_is_my_dad said:

Just saw the weather. Cold, wet and windy. That should suit us.

We're terrible in the wet. Our game style breaks down really badly.

[number 27 62]

this game feels like in the tennis when you break your opponent and you really have to hold your own serve to consolidate.

we need to consolidate.

we are playing a club that doesn't respect us. if we follow the normal narrative, that respect will be reflected in the final score

[TGR 1,367]

Narrow ground will suit us (team that aint good with spreading).

We embarrassed Geelong in the final...They should come out breathing fire.

[david_neitz_is_my_dad 4,083]

1 hour ago, A F said:

We're terrible in the wet. Our game style breaks down really badly.

You want another quick deck and the opposition to run all over us? 

[spirit of norm smith 15,555]

Who’s the Cats fitness guru?

only Tuohy missing from their best 22. Unbelievable.  It was the key to them beating the Pies. Ablett etc all fit for round 1. 

Tough game v Cats at the cattery 

[WERRIDEE 5,368]

It depends what they do at the selection table. The 3 defenders have to go they know who they are. Not confident one bit, but I am confident we will be harder at the ball and not get slaughtered on the outside like last week.

The Cats by 6 points. Gawn, Viney and Jones to have big games after having shockers last week.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

Its their supporters that do the beating up. Luckily they cant get onto the field.

[Demonland 70,600]

REDEMPTION? by the Oracle

How much should we be making out of Melbourne’s opening round loss on its home ground against an unfancied team from interstate in Port Adelaide? 

The game was barely over before the excuses were coming out that about the lack of preparation of the team, the fact that some players were playing injured or unfit and unable to handle the humidity and the heat, the team’s lack of run and spread, the lack of experience and having too many key players injured or (in the case of Steven May) suspended. The resort to excuses or reasons for failure should not sit well in light of the fact that it was not that long ago when Melbourne was being strongly touted as a top four team, if not a strong contender for the flag.

There really will be no excuses this week with the game played at night (17 degrees and possible showers predicted), players returning from injury and big Maxy over the after effects of his minor skin surgery and the challenge of winning in Sleepy Hollow awaiting a team that will benefit from having the run of last week’s game out of its legs.

In many ways this will be a game of redemption for both sides. The Cats will be looking to redeem themselves for their humiliating exit from last year’s final series when they were overpowered early by the enthusiastic Demons while Melbourne will be looking to redeem itself for last week’s crushing loss where it was made to look slow and without any focus up forward. In fact, it has been horrific in front of goal in its last two matches - no goals in the entire first half of the Preliminary Final and none in more than a quarter and a half at the end of last week’s game. The club will also be looking to redeem itself for that nightmare after-the-siren defeat late last year at at GMHBA Stadium which put paid to its efforts to finish in the top four before the finals.

This week will be different with the long anticipated debut of Steven May who will no doubt be called upon to stop Tom Hawkins who was the match winner booting seven straight when the teams last met at this ground. The strength and aggression of the former Gold Coast skipper should certainly be significant after the limp efforts of the Demons’ key backs last week on the MCG.

And speaking of skippers, one would hope that Melbourne co-captains Nathan Jones and Jack Viney will provide the sort of leadership that was sorely lacking last week and led to a diminished output from the rest of the midfield. I expect Max Gawn to stand up strong and proud and for a much better midfield which faces the quality of Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett and Tim Kelly.

In the end however, the team is coming from a long way back on the basis of its lethargic performance against Port Adelaide and I fear that they aren’t ready yet to redeem themselves in the hostile territory of GMHBA Stadium.

Geelong by 10 points.

THE GAME

Geelong v Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday 30 March 2019 at 7.25pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Geelong 130 wins Melbourne 85 wins 2 draws
 
At  GMHBA Stadium Geelong 39 wins Melbourne 18 wins 1 draw
 
The last five meetings Geelong 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins
 
The Coaches Scott 3 wins Goodwin 1 win

MEDIA

TV -  Fox Footy Channel 7 live
 
RADIO -  ABC Triple M 3AW
 
LAST TIME THEY MET 

Melbourne 10.15.75 defeated Geelong 6.10.46 Elimination Final 2018 at the MCG

It was happy days for the Demons as they booted the first five goals for the game to hammer home an advantage through Max Gawn’s ruck dominance over the inexperienced Ryan Abbo tt provided silver service to the midfield led by Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw and full forward Sam Weideman delivered with three goals. Two quarters of inaccuracy in front of goal prevented a complete slaughter.

THE TEAMS
 
GEELONG

B Jack Henry  Mark Blicavs  Tom Stewart 
HB Jake Kolodjashnij  Harry Taylor  Mitch Duncan 
C Joel Selwood  Patrick Dangerfield  Jordan Clark 
HF Luke Dahlhaus  Esava Ratugolea  Brandan Parfitt 
F Gary Ablett  Tom Hawkins  Gary Rohan 
FOLL Rhys Stanley  Tim Kelly  Tom Atkins 
I/C Charlie Constable  Sam Menegola Gryan Miers Mark O'Connor   
EMG Ryan Abbott  Zach Guthrie  Lachie Henderson Jamaine Jones  

NO CHANGE 

MELBOURNE

B Jay Lockhart  Oscar McDonald  Neville Jetta 
HB Jayden Hunt  Steven May  Nathan Jones 
C Bayley Fritsch  Clayton Oliver  Christian Salem 
HF Alex Neal-Bullen  Tom McDonald  Jack Viney 
F Jake Melksham  Sam Weideman  Christian Petracca 
FOLL Max Gawn  James Harmes  Angus Brayshaw 
I/C Sam Frost Michael Hibberd  Kade Kolodjashnij  Tom Sparrow 
EMG Marty Hore  Declan Keilty Braydon Preuss Charlie Spargo

IN Kade Kolodjashnij Jay Lockhart Steven May

OUT Marty Hore (omitted) Charlie Spargo (omitted) Corey Wagner (omitted)

Round 2 Injury List:

Harry Petty (foot) – Test
Tim Smith (calf) – Test
Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – 1 - 2 weeks
Jordan Lewis (hamstring) – 2 - 3 weeks
Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – 4 - 6 weeks 
Joel Smith (groin) – TBA 
Mitch Hannan (knee) – 6-10 weeks
Jake Lever  (knee) – 6-10 weeks
Jay Kennedy Harris (knee) – 10-12 weeks
Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite 
Aaron Nietschke (knee) – seasonn

[Lucifers Hero 39,070]

10 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

We won the centre clearances 15-9. I'd have to watch the replay to see what happened with the wingmen but setting them up defensive side to me looked like a plan to get them to room to go forward as well as defend rather than an unaccountable plan.

Only having 53 tackles as well as 183 to 276 uncontested possessions to me tells more of a story about the set ups and run around the ground than at clearances. 

Salem and Harmes were pretty much a 2 man team in terms of running and getting the ball back or holding up their opponents. Apart from one Corey Wagner chase down tackle the rest of the midfield and flanker group couldn't run with or hold up the opposition.

Technically we did but we had difficulty getting the ball out of the square or forward.  I haven't seen the replay - the positioning of our wingmen I noticed at the ground. 

I didn't mean to say it was a plan to be unaccountable, more that it made it difficult for us to defend when they got the ball out of the square.

My post was hypothesizing on what Lewis meant by 'positioning' when asked why we were smashed in the middle.  Would be interested in other people's theory of what he was referring to.

Edited March 27, 2019 by Lucifer's Hero