NAB CUP OPENER COSTLY FOR CATS
Ben Jensen 18 February 2013

UPDATED 20/2/13 GEELONG won one and lost another half-match in the opening week of the NAB Cup but it came at a cost with Steve Johnson to miss the season proper opener against Hawthorn after being pleading guilty for striking Fremantle's Hayden Ballantyne. The Cats trailed for most of their first game against the Eagles, winning courtesy of a clever supergoal from skipper Joel Selwood, and lost to the Dockers in the second by three goals. West Coast then smashed Fremantle in the third game, with each side having one win for the day.

The Cats will also lose Mathew Stokes for a short while though he should be back by round one, the dual Premiership player limping off with an ankle injury in the first match. The confusing format of the NAB Cup sees Geelong remain in the comp, with full-length matches against the Adelaide Crows and North Melbourne coming up at Simonds Stadium on March 2 and 9.

GAME 1

GEELONG: 0.2.0, 1.6.4 (49) DEFEATED
WEST COAST: 0.3.0, 1.6.2 (47)

GOALS
GEELONG: Super: Selwood; 'Normal': Podsiadly 2, Caddy, Stokes, Walker, Varcoe
WEST COAST: Super: Dalziell; 'Normal': Darling 3, LeCras, Hams, McInnes

BEST
GEELONG: Horlin-Smith, Christensen, Selwood, Podsiadly
WEST COAST: Masten, Darling, Shuey, Sinclair

GAME 2

FREMANTLE: 0.4.2, 0.7.6 (48) DEFEATED
GEELONG: 0.2.4, 0.4.6 (30)

GOALS
FREMANTLE: Walters 2, C. Pearce, Crozier, Mayne, Silvagni, Mzungu
GEELONG: Selwood 2, Brown 2

BEST
FREMANTLE: Barlow, Walters, C. Pearce
GEELONG: Selwood, Brown, Duncan

UMPIRES: 'Kenny' Dalgleish, Stewart, Talbot

CROWD: 21,935 at Patersons Stadium (Subiaco, Perth)

2012 GEELONG AFL SEASON DRAW

2012 GEELONG LIST