CATS OUT TO EXTINGUISH INTERSTATE HOODOO ON BIG STAGE
Mark Heenan of AAP 21 April 2005

FOLLOWING its uninspiring performance against Melbourne on Friday night two weeks ago, Geelong has a chance to break horrible interstate curse when it faces Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium tomorrow night.

Cats coach Mark Thompson says the poor interstate record has not been the focus in planning, despite the club not having won on the road since mid-2002. “Well it is hoodoo, but we haven’t spent any time on it, we’re just looking at Port Adelaide and just wanting to improve our game ourselves,” Thompson said at training today.

The Cats coach also admitted he blasted defender Cameron Mooney who won’t be available, following his 1-game suspension in the VFL against North Ballarat, after returning from a buttock injury. “..Really disappointed he got suspended in the VFL and how you can get so upset in a reserves game of footy after not playing all year is just amazing, he has let the club down,” he said.

“We are trying to address (Mooney’s temper) all the time and ultimately Cameron is got to be the one that handles it and he’s got a lot better and we all recognise that, but there was a slip up on the weekend and it’s born out of frustration of being injured and it’s a really minor injury.

“We are pretty desperate to get him back in, because he just gives us that flexibility down back, we can throw him forward in the ruck, so he would have played this week if he had not been suspended. I think five of his team mates rang him before the game and told him not to do anything silly, which is even more disappointing,” An open and honest Thompson said.

Even without Mooney, Geelong will feel confident it can take advantage of Port’s underdone talls in Brendon Lade and Matthew Primus, after Ruckman Dean Brogan was outed for three weeks at the tribunal this week. “Well he (Brogan) has done pretty well against Geelong and obviously their captain’s back (Primus) and he has taken a lot of ruck and there trying to get him back into form and get him back on the field as well the can,” he said.

“They’ll miss Brogan and we’re pretty happy he is out really.”

Thompson predicts Tom Harley should be fit to play, as the defender recovers from a concussion he sustained in Geelong’s 56-point win over Essendon last Saturday. “We are pretty confident he’ll play, concussion is a funny one you have got to go through all the medical procedures so far he has done most things right,” he said.

“No it wasn't a severe concussion he was quite conscious pretty early on and there was no neck damage," he said.

Meantime Brenton Sanderson who competed in light training is expected to line up in Geelong’s VFL team next week, as he plots a return from a calf injury, while Paul Koulouriotis will still be sidelined with a hamstring problem.