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CATS A GOOD BET AGAINST CROWS By Andy Morris of Betfair ADELAIDE Adelaide play host to reigning premiers Geelong in what could see quite a shake up of the top eight. Geelong sits in second place after a fired-up Western Bulldogs accounted for a struggling Port Power over the weekend. A win to Geelong would see them outright competition leaders, while a win to Adelaide would afford them some breathing space in the middle order.
Geelong is coming off the back of four straight wins, the average winning margin for each an astounding 66 points. Adelaide are looking to make amends for two straight (albeit narrow) losses to quality opposition in Brisbane and Hawthorn. The Crows consider AAMI Stadium to be somewhat of a fortress and always put up a tight, tough contest at home. The Cats play the same exciting brand of footy wherever they go and the Crows will be well served to stem their free running midfield counter attacks through some solid chasing and tackling. The last time Adelaide managed a victory over the Cats was in Rd. 13, 2006 where they thumped them at AAMI stadium by 92 points. Last time they met at AAMI, Geelong came away with win by just seven points. Adelaide are missing key defender and All-Australian Andrew McLeod but apart from that will field a relatively unchanged side from their 13 point loss to Brisbane on June 21st. Geelong just keep going from strength to strength, fielding their strongest side possible against Port Power for last weekend's grand final replay, with the exception of defender Matthew Scarlet who is out with a hamstring injury. Geelong have such a depth of talent at the moment which has seen them win key games without fielding their strongest team. Gary Ablett Jr. remains an almost unbackable favourite for this year's Brownlow Medal and his red hot form shows no signs of deserting him any time soon. Most bookies and agencies around the country are offering between $4-$5 dollars for the fifth placed Crows to beat the second placed Cats. But while for a two horse race this looks like excellent value, in reality it is only valuable if the bet comes in and with the incentive of taking over at the top of the ladder Geelong will attract by far the majority of backers. Andy Morris writes courtesy of Betfair
LAST TIME ROUND 19, 2007 CATS FLY AWAY FROM CROWS, SECURE MINOR
PREMIERSHIP 12 AUGUST 2007 CATS FLY AWAY FROM CROWS, SECURE MINOR PREMIERSHIP By Ben Jensen AFL ROUND 19 2007, GEELONG CATS V ADELAIDE CROWS GEELONG kept their engine humming this afternoon with a routine win over the Adelaide Crows in front of 21,267 at Skilled Stadium. Their fourteenth win in a row secured top spot on the ladder and the 'minor premiership' for the Cats, guaranteeing home finals come September. Jimmy Bartel just nudged aside Joel Corey as best on ground. Joel Selwood's performance should put paid to any suggestions he will miss out on the NAB Rising Star award. Matthew Scarlett and Tom Harley ensured most forward forays by the Crows were repelled. Cameron Mooney was handy up forward and while coach Mark Thompson lamented he didn't have his kicking boots on, he dished off goals to teammates.
GEELONG 5.3 6.5 11.8 15.13 (103) DEFEATED GOALS GEELONG: G Ablett 2, Bartel 2, Selwood 2, N Ablett,
Enright, S Johnson, Kelly, Ling, Mackie, Mooney, Ottens, Scarlett BEST GEELONG: Bartel, Corey, Scarlett, Selwood, Mooney,
Harley
CATS INJURY LIST Updated 29/6/2008 Player (Injury) Onset; Estimated Return
CROWS INJURY LIST Updated 29/6/2008 Player (Injury) Estimated Return
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AFL 2008, ROUND FOURTEEN ADELAIDE V GEELONG FRIDAY 4 JULY 2008, 19:40 AEST AAMI STADIUM SCARLETT A CHANCE TO RETURN; MATCH PREVIEW INCLUDING TV / RADIO DETAILS
BEST ON GROUND, GARY ABLETT JUNIOR [PICTURED IN ROUND 5]
AFL PREMIERS VICTORY PACK - FOUR DVD'S - THREE FINALS PLUS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
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