Geelong focuses on midfield depth despite pre-season loss

Geelong experimented with its midfield depth in last night’s pre-season clash against Essendon at GMHBA Stadium, falling by 21 points but gaining valuable insights ahead of the season opener.

Despite the 17.2 (104) to 12.11 (83) loss, the Cats showed strong signs through Jack Bowes and Mitch Knevitt, who were among the standouts. Bowes collected 31 disposals and a goal, while Jeremy Cameron troubled the Bombers’ defence throughout the match.

Geelong fought back from a slow start, kicking six goals to three in the second term to take a three-point lead at halftime. However, a late surge from Essendon saw the visitors pull away in the final quarter.

Assistant coach Steven King remained positive about the Cats’ performance, highlighting the selection dilemmas it has created.

“It was a pretty hot game, high intensity. Essendon have been really sharp … we saw enough flexibility within the team to keep our options open for Brisbane next week,” King said.

Bailey Smith, who missed the match due to a minor knee issue, is expected to be available for round one. King confirmed Smith was rested as a precaution after an impressive showing in last week’s hitout against Hawthorn.

“He’ll definitely play – he tweaked his knee a little bit, it was very minor,” King said. “He was sitting up there tonight going ‘I could have played’. We thought he’s missed so much footy, he got through really well against Hawthorn … let’s just give him two or three really good sessions for Brisbane.”

Tanner Bruhn also missed the match due to a finger injury, but King remained confident about the squad’s overall readiness.

“We have to be a team that is a weight-of-numbers midfield group,” King said. “There are other teams who cement three, four, or five mids, but we’re going to have to bat a bit deeper. There’s a real opportunity and excitement about that.”

Captain Patrick Dangerfield spent time in the midfield but was also used as a forward, a role likely to be his primary position this season.

With the pre-season wrapped up, the Cats will now turn their focus to their round-one clash against Brisbane, where they will aim to put their midfield depth to the test.