GEELONG CATS V GWS GIANTS MATCH PREVIEW - CATS BY 6 POINTS
Willem van Denderen 20 May 2016

AFL ROUND 11 2016: GEELONG CATS V GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS Geelong will look to bounce back on their home deck following a horror fortnight which saw losses to Collingwood and Carlton. The back-to-back defeats have seen the Cats fall two games behind ladder-leaders North Melbourne, and perhaps most worryingly they now sit in a group of five sides on 28 points. One of these sides is this week's opponent in Greater Western Sydney, a team delivering on their long-recognised promise so far in 2016. Geelong and the Giants have already met this season, the Giants prevailing by 13 points in Canberra in round two. The task will be tougher at the second time of asking for the Western Sydney given the Cats are yet to lose at home this season, however the dispirited performances of the past two weeks will give the Giants a great deal of optimism. A win for the Cats will see them remain ahead of the pack and within touch of the top two; a loss and they could very likely drop as far down as sixth. The game will see the return of triple-premiership hero Steve Johnson to Kardinia Park, in what is expected to be a warm reception for the former Cat. Johnson has been rejuvenated this season playing primarily as a forward, and Geelong fans can expect to be treated to one last show from Stevie J, even if it is in orange.

THIS WEEK IN FOCUS: Round eleven shapes as a crucial clash for the Cats, whose lacklustre past fortnight has put them in danger of losing the advantage gained in the opening months. Slow starts have cost the side dearly, having conceded 16 and 14 goals to Collingwood and Carlton respectively in the first half of the last two weeks. These early deficits have proved too much to overcome, so it is imperative Geelong tighten up defensively from the outset against the Giants. The Cats must also ensure they put away their early chances, for their combined first quarter scores of 3.9 (from two matches) have been just as detrimental to the cause as the defence.
A key to the Cats winning this week will be in the contested ball stakes. The Giants are using the ball as quickly as any side this year, their spread from the stoppage and emphasis on kicking primary facets of their game plan. The obvious way to counter this is to deny them the football in the first place, and Geelong's hardened midfield of Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield and Josh Caddy will be relied on to win the contested ball.
GWS have named more 'talls' in their side than Geelong, with rucks Rory Lobb and former-Cat Shane Mumford expected to win more hit-outs than Zac Smith and Mark Blicavs (Rhys Stanley is a late omission). This should give the Giants an advantage because, as aforementioned, they move the ball very efficiently from the contest. They will not be afraid to use the wings, and have in recent weeks kept their forward line fairly open, isolating key forwards Lobb and Jonathan Patton. Giants coach Leon Cameron has challenged his players to take another step in their development by beating the Cats this week, describing Kardinia Park as 'probably the hardest' road trip in the competition (Geelong have won 64 of 71 games at the ground since 2007).

TEAM NEWS: Geelong continue to rotate a pool of players with three changes made this week. Lincoln McCarthy returns having recovered from an ankle injury sustained against West Coast, as does fellow forward Daniel Menzel. Tom Ruggles has also been recalled for his 7th game of his debut season. Rhys Stanley was named in the side on Thursday night but has not overcome a foot complaint, so Jordan Murdoch has retained his spot. Also going out are the omitted Cory Gregson and Billie Smedts.
Mitch Clark will make his return in the VFL against Sandringham in the curtain-raiser to the Cats-Giants clash.
The Giants have two huge ins, with defenders Matt Buntine and Phil Davis available to play. Buntine missed last week with concussion, while Davis hasn't played since round seven due to a hamstring injury. Rhys Palmer has an injured toe, and Adam Kennedy has a shoulder injury.

PREDICTION: It should be a fantastic game on Saturday evening, with the result of extreme significance to the make up of the top eight heading into the middle of the season. At their best, both sides play exciting, high-scoring football. If the Cats can find the commitment that has been lacking recently and the Giants acclimatise well to the ground, there will be very little to split the two sides. The home ground advantage nudges the clash in Geelong's favour.

Geelong by 6 points.