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Chapter 1: What is the significance of the Adelaide vs. Geelong match?
Let's get to work. Thursday night footy is the Crows and the Cats.
Our numbers look okay off intercept, but we're not going quite as well in that space as we were last year. But that's something we've been working on for months now, and we'll continue to work through that.
Chapter 2: How do the Crows plan to improve their intercept game?
We play some good opposition. We have done, at least in the first half of the year, some really challenging games. you know, to get that part of your game going. We're actually really confident or optimistic, I've used that word a bit the last month, about where we're at, considering that's not humming along. But by no means are we changing the game plan and so on.
We feel confident we're in a good space. We know we've got to be in a great space. We know that we're going to have to be better than what we were first half of the year, obviously. I mean, they finished on top of the ladder last year, had a few issues with some of their key players this year, which has made it probably a little harder, but they just have quality everywhere.
I think they're rightly considered a contender when they play their best.
Set up for Thursday night footy, our two coaches, Chris Scott and Matthew Nix. So the cat side of things first is lost to Carlton.
Concerns or no concerns out of that? I looked, Gerard, back in the last, or the times that Geelong have made the grand final or got really close. This is actually quite common where they have the first half of the year, we see patches of their very best footy. And we get really excited as Geelong fans. This is going to be another great season for the Cats.
And then they just have a game like they had on Friday night where you just think, wow. I thought they were going to blow that game apart, particularly after a quarter time. But... But yeah, I think the last three times Geelong have made the grand final, they were five wins, four losses after round nine. And even in 2024, when they started seven and zero, after round 14, they were eight and six.
Yet they led the prelim with two minutes to go in 2024. So I just think Chris Scott's strategy now, and he's brilliant. We know that. they generally spend the first half of the season just managing loads, filling themselves out a little bit just to get themselves into that spot. They typically have good second halves of the season.
They do finish seasons hard and they try and time it, I think, so they're peaking when it really matters in September. I think they've sort of learnt the hard way with that. So to answer your question, I don't think there is ā concerns after that loss for the Blues, loss against the Blues. I thought we saw some really good footy that night, but just not enough good footy for long enough.
The circumstances of tonight, Cats are on a six-day break with travel. The Crows have had the, what did he call it, the rejuve days. Can the Crows turn that into an advantage?
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Chapter 3: What challenges did Geelong face in their last game against Carlton?
I feel like this is an important bye period for Matthew Nix.
Yeah, I agree. They only lost that game by nine points. And if you remember back a couple of weeks ago when we previewed that Adelaide and Hawthorne game, I really did sing the praises of Adelaide. I thought that they were getting their game back to that really good balance of defence and offence in their game. They do make it really hard for the opposition to score.
They do take the ball off the opposition. They don't let them mark it. But those sort of icy, wintry conditions in Tasmania, it looked like it just didn't suit the Crows at all. And even in the last quarter, they had some chances. And I know it's two weeks ago to try and think back.
They did drop some regulation marks in the goal square in the last quarter, which potentially mattered to the final result. But yeah, I do think what the Crows will love in this game is they are really good at denying the opposition a control game, and that's what the Cats will want. So they do take the ball off their position. They do prevent you getting those mark chains.
It wasn't as important last week against Hawthorne, who do play a chaos game. So I think the Crows would have watched the way that Carlton defended ā Geelong and they'll try and do something similar. So think back to last week. Every time Geelong went backwards and to go out and around to exit out the open side, Carlton just pressed up and they took away those exits.
It was really fascinating to see that that Geelong just weren't able to move the ball effectively against that Carlton defence. So that will be the game that they'll learn from and you'd expect the Crows on the smaller Adelaide Oval to try and do a similar sort of game plan to what we saw Carlton do last week.
So when the Cats lose, what typically breaks down in the game?
Yeah, it's really quite obvious. They lose control of their kicking game. So what stood out for me when I looked at this game, the wins this year, So in 2026, Cats wins. The meters gain differential is 570 meters. So plus 570 against their opponents. In their losses this year to Geelong in 2026, The metres gained differential is minus 448 metres.
So there's a one kilometre difference between their wins and their losses. So I think that's the blueprint. I think you've got to take the ball off them. Don't let them kick and mark the ball. Don't let them go out and around. Don't let them use the corridor. And just don't let them control the ball. That's probably the one thing.
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Chapter 4: Can the Crows leverage their bye week advantage against Geelong?
Give us 22 players in role and we should be good enough to beat the Crows. What are you thinking? I think Geelong, I think the Cats will win this one. Big game for the Crows. It is. After the bye and that poor game against Hawthorne, they've really got to get going.