MY PLAYERS are confident they can take the Cats on on their own turf - and beat them. After last Sunday's easy win over Melbourne, the first thing that senior Bulldogs Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd said was that they wouldn't be facing the Cats at their best, because Gary Ablett and Cameron Ling would be out injured. They were genuinely disappointed about that.
Nevertheless, the challenge is enormous. Geelong has lost just two of its past 35 games. The Cats are in very good form, and will be excited about taking on a new but legitimate challenger. To give ourselves every chance to win, there are some non-negotiables for the Dogs. Against a hard-bodied and mature team, the Dogs must play with courage and controlled aggression. Eyes have to stay on the ball and heads over it. At the end of the day, wins in the contested-ball and hard-ball gets columns have to finish in favour of Adam Cooney, Cross, Boyd, Nathan Eagleton, Jason Akermanis and co.
The tackling on Geelong has to be ferocious and effective, just as the Magpies illustrated in their past two battles with the Cats. No team in the history of football has handballed as much as this current premiership team. In recent weeks, it has averaged more than 200 handballs a game, so its over-possession will give a switched-on team a chance to dispossess. The Cats also play on after a mark and free kick more than any other team (53%). This means they take plenty of risks, but when it comes off, they move the ball quickly and more often into their forward line, giving them every chance to score heavily. We will have to be alert and committed to restricting the play-on opportunities. And just occasionally, we should play some slow-tempo football, where we chip the ball around and play keepings-off, to curb the Cats' fast-flowing style, and hopefully creating some frustration.
MIDFIELD
The Bulldog players must attack when we have possession. Cooney, Eagleton, "Aka" and Farren Ray must run, bounce and carry at every opportunity. They are quick and creative and a major reason why we are the highest-scoring team in the competition. Cooney should take advantage of Ling's absence, as no other Geelong midfielder can tag anywhere near as effectively as the redhead. Cross and Boyd do their best work when they are assigned a quality opponent to control. With Ablett out, their targets will be the very dangerous Joel Corey, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood. The ruck contests will be intriguing; Geelong pair Mark Blake and Brad Ottens will get more hitouts than Ben Hudson and Will Minson, but will Corey and Selwood <0x2014> the Cats' best clearance winners <0x2014> be able to take advantage if their tight tags have them under control? Hudson has been a fine acquisition for the Dogs. He rucks OK but his ground work for a big man is sensational. Minson will be used sparingly in the ruck, but today's game will be his biggest-ever challenge, to see if he can control emotions and be a productive player against quality opponents on a very big occasion.
ATTACK
The forward line is a great strength for us because it isn't one-dimensional. There is no unhealthy reliance on one or two players to do the damage. By season's end we will have at least eight players who will have kicked 20-plus goals. Currently, the Dogs are No.<0x2009>1 in the competition for goals scored and accuracy. It is essential that today we play with six set forwards to keep the Geelong defence honest. The Cats cannot be allowed at any time to have an extra man in defence, as Matthew Scarlett or Darren Milburn excel in that role.
It's also vital that our forwards play wide of each other to keep the Cats' defenders apart. Geelong's back six are experienced and predictable to each other, so if they are isolated, they can't team together as much as they would like. Where possible, Scarlett, a key playmaker, has to be taken to the defensive goal square to keep him out of the action. This may mean that Scott Welsh has to sacrifice his involvements for the good of the team. Ideally, we have two forwards in the goal square and four well up at half-forward. On the long Geelong ground this will provide plenty of space for the likes of the nimble Aka, Robert Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa and Cooney to lead into. Big Minson stationed in the goal square provides the long direct option for the midfielders to go to when shorter options dry up.
Whoever gets Josh Hunt has to run him up to the wings and then turn the Cat defender around. This takes away Hunt's strong marking in defence and challenges his pace. And whoever gets Corey Enright has to be prepared to draw him away from the action. Enright is in red-hot form and can't be allowed to have another 30-plus-disposal game off half-back.
DEFENCE
The Geelong forward line is not big, but they can all mark. Paul Chapman and Tom Lonergan have been among the goals in recent weeks. Steve Johnson and Cam Mooney are unselfish and continually give assists to teammates and Mathew Stokes slips under the radar, but is third on his team's goal-kicking list. No Bulldogs defender can afford to be caught napping as Geelong players are supremely confident in their skills, and their forward line will often go for low-percentage short passes and handballs to teammates. But because their skills are so good, it often comes off. Mooney and Johnson will play on and give off when you don't expect it, so our defenders must remain on their toes. Mooney plays for frees and whinges, so this should be brought to the umpires' attention very early.
Brian Lake should take Mooney. He is the biggest defender, is strong overhead and will be able to handle Mooney's bluff. Dale Morris would be ideal for Johnson. He is disciplined and would love to take the scalp of a class act. Ryan Hargrave matches up well on Lonergan, and Lindsay Gilbee and Ryan Griffen will give the dash and delivery required with the rebounds. It will be the biggest game in the career of young Andrejs Everitt, who has just 13 senior games to his credit, but the kid is made of the right stuff and will not be over-awed.
WILDCARD
Speed kills. And that is what we have in abundance. We must use it to the max. Young guns Cooney and Griffen must play with reckless abandon when they get their hands on the leather. Farren Ray on the wing loves to run and bounce, as does Aka, so go for it. Murphy is a class act across the half-forward line. He moves swiftly and when he automatically plays on after a mark, he makes things happen.
WHY WE'LL WIN
We must put the Cats on the back foot by playing boldly. Few teams dare do that to the masters. But the Bulldogs can.
LEADING PLAYERS (Competition rankings)
GEELONG
* Joel Corey (1), Jimmy Bartel (3) and Gary Ablett (5) rank in the top five for total disposals.
* Corey ranks No.1 in uncontested possessions and handball receives and second in handballs.
* Ablett (out injured) ranks 2nd in contested possessions and 4th in hard ball-gets
* Mark Blake ranks 4th in hitouts and 3rd in hitouts-to-advantage.
* Corey and Ablett rank equal-4th in inside 50s.
* Cameron Mooney leads the competition in goal assists and Steve Johnson is 2nd.
*Tom Harley ranks No. 1 in marks from opposition kicks and Josh Hunt ranks fourth.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
* Adam Cooney ranks 4th in disposals and Daniel Cross 6th.
* Cross ranks 1st in handballs, sixth in contested possessions.
* Robert Murphy ranks equal-2nd in inside 50s and equal fourth in marks and uncontested marks.
* Lindsay Gilbee ranks 3rd in effective kicks and short kicks and 4th in rebound 50s.
* Brian Lake is 2nd in short kicks and equal 2nd in marks from opposition kicks.
* Ben Hudson is 7th in hard ball-gets.
* Cooney ranks equal-5th in loose ball-gets and equal 7th in clearances.
* Daniel Giansiracusa ranks equal-3rd in score assists.
Keep up to date with the latest AFL news.