Leon Cameron says Greater Western Sydney need to believe like Steve Johnson as the Giants battle to lift themselves out of their first flat spot of the year. The Cats, however, could be out of theirs.
Despite a brilliant game from Dylan Shiel, the Giants - though gallant - fell short of the mark for the second week in a row, raising doubts over their flag credentials.
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Cats cut down Giants
Geelong defeated Greater Western Sydney by 10 points on Saturday afternoon.
The margin of 10 points flattered the Giants, the difference in scoring shots of 10 a more accurate gauge of how the match was played. This was a game where the ball seemed to be predominantly in the Cats' forward half, though it was not until the dying minutes that Geelong had the match iced.
It was a marked improvement by the Giants on the week before, although they were well beaten for the contested ball and smashed for inside 50s 76-48.
Johnson, in his first game at his former home ground, had 19 possessions but made the highlights reel with his only goal - a magnificent snap from the forward pocket which he celebrated with gusto.
By game's end, however, he was on the receiving end of Bronx cheers from a happy Cats crowd pleased their side had ended a two-match losing streak.
Cameron said the Giants needed to take a leaf out of the three-time premiership player's book.
"He just wants to win, I want our players to believe like he believes," Cameron said.
"They have to believe they do belong playing against these really good sides.
"If you don't believe, that's why you fumble and make poor decisions going ahead of the footy, that's why you miss goals when you should kick goals. Steve Johnson believes."
This was a strong response from the Cats, who had been flag favourites before losses to Collingwood and Carlton, one marked through hard work and industry rather than flashes of brilliance.
When the game was on the line, it was their star duo of Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood who stepped up, although the pair were shaded by Shiel, who was one of few Giants to win their position.
While control of the game was firmly with Geelong for much of the night, the scoreboard ebbed and flowed. The highest margin of the night was 16 points, a measure of how hard the Giants defence competed.
Phil Davis was high class in his comeback game though Tom Hawkins lifted when it mattered in the final term with a crucial goal.
Both sides had cause to be both encouraged and alarmed by the first term. There was much to like for the Giants, not least a near two-goal lead. They were winning the stoppages, running forward hard in waves and hitting their opponents on the counterattack.
The Cats, despite being beaten in the clearances, were winning the contested ball and were able to have the game played more in their front half, though space was limited.
The question would be whether the Giants' defence could withstand the pressure or would weight of numbers eventually tell for the Cats?
It appeared the latter early in the second as the Cats lifted their intensity in close, adjusting quicker to the slippery conditions. Suddenly, every contest and possession mattered, which cannot often be said for a mid-season match.
Cam Guthrie, after a quiet start, sparked the Cats with a fine running goal, which was immediately answered by Tom Scully, whose gut busting running netted him two goals.
Dylan Shiel follows up his clearance with a great running goal. #AFLCatsGiants https://t.co/8817uUGiQu
— AFL (@AFL) June 4, 2016
The Giants, though, were finding it hard to clear the ball out of their back half, nor were they helped by some risky kicks which failed to hit their mark.
When they did get past the Cats' press they were repelled by a well organised defence, though they were getting little from Jeremy Cameron and Jonathon Patton.
That the Giants were less than a kick down at half time was due in part to their tenacious defending and Geelong's wastefulness in front of goal.
Out of nowhere, the Giants made their move, catching the hosts on a Catnap straight after the break. First, Toby Greene bobbed up with his third - a great return for a defensive forward, then Dylan Shiel loped inside 50 under amazingly little pressure for another.
But the game was soon well and truly being played on the Cats' terms. The Giants went 15 minutes without piercing their forward 50, unable to generate the sort of run or smooth play that has become their trademark. They were now being beaten in almost every area of the game. In the end the weight of numbers told.
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