CATS SHAKE OFF CROWS UNDER LIGHTS AT GEELONG
Ben Jensen 20 March 2014

AFL 2014 ROUND 1 GEELONG CATS V ADELAIDE CROWS GEELONG defeated Adelaide by 38 points at Simonds Stadium on a balmy Thursday evening in Geelong in front of a crowd featuring a fair few empty seats. The first quarter was a fair old shoot out, six straight to the Cats who led by over 20 points at one stage before the Crows finished with a few in a row, to cut the deficit to three at quarter time. In the second quarter Geelong outscored Adelaide five goals to four, the Crows again with a late one to peg the half time lead back to the ten points. Crowd favourite Jimmy Bartel booted four for the Cats in a night that was at times almost all about him, in his 250th game since debuting in round 1 2012 alongside fellow Brownlow medallists Gary Ablett and Jobe Watson at the MCG. Mitchell Brown was next best for the Cats with three, Joel Selwood two. For the Crows Lewis Johnston booted three, Eddie Betts two in his first game, and former Geelong Falcon Patrick Dangerfield two.

Josh Caddy copped an accidental flying Joel Selwood boot stud into his head late in the first half, leaving he ground in the hands of trainers after a hell of a lot of blood had been spilled; he recovered well, returning in the second half after a clean up. Ruckmen Hamish McIntosh and Dawson Simpson both held out well with a goal each to their names, McIntosh in his first game for the Cats and first since season 2012, Simpson first since suffering an injury last August. Simpson came in as a late change in place of George Horlin-Smith; not exactly like for like. As a result Mark Blicavs was named substitute.

While the first half was a shoot out, the second was more of a good old fashioned defensive game that saw just three goals in the third quarter, the Crows pegging back Geelong's lead to less than a goal. The final term started tight with the Crows nosing ahead, but from then on it was all Geelong, eventually at least. The Cats slamming home six unanswered goals, putting the icing on the cake for Bartel's 250th and McIntosh's first game for the club.

GEELONG: 6.0, 11.3, 12.7, 18.11 (119) DEFEATED
ADELAIDE: 5.3, 9.5, 11.8, 12.9 (81)

GOALS
GEELONG: Bartel 4, Brown 3, Selwood 2, Johnson, Hawkins, Stokes, Caddy, Duncan, Enright, McIntosh, Murdoch, Simpson
ADELAIDE: Johnston 3, Betts 2, Dangerfield 2, McKernan, Grigg, Jacobs, Jaensch, Smith

BEST
GEELONG: Selwood, Johnson, Kelly, Bartel, Mackie, Stokes, Caddy
ADELAIDE: Wright, Kerridge, Mackay, Grigg, Jacobs, Talia

SUBSTITUTE
GEELONG: Mark Blicavs; replaced Dawson Simpson in the third quarter
ADELAIDE: Jarryd Lyons; replaced Brad Crouch in the third quarter

INJURIES
GEELONG: Caddy (cut head)
ADELAIDE: TBA

UMPIRES
Matthew Leppard, Matthew Stevic, Shane Stewart

CROWD: 23,622 at Simonds Stadium

GEELONG DRAW AFL SEASON 2014