Spent a fair chunk of his time in defence opposed to Steve Johnson and did okay there before having to be shifted as the coach looked for options. Didn’t make any glaring errors but couldn’t win as much ball as recent weeks.
Ryan Crowley - 3
Perhaps not as fit as he has been in past years, given his injury troubles, and couldn’t stop the Cats’ big names winning the footy or get much of it himself.
Matt de Boer - 4
Found the going tough. Had 10 touches but his most important by far came midway through the third term when his side was mounting a charge. Unfortunately his very-kickable shot from 30m veered left.
Paul Duffield - 6
Was one who never stopped trying. Had a variety of roles and opponents and played his best game in some time. Finished with 22 touches and a goal.
Nat Fyfe - 6
Certainly had his moments, and didn’t look too out of place on the game’s biggest stage. Had 18 touches, five tackles and a goal - and more contested possessions than any of his teammates. Great effort.
Antoni Grover - 3
Found the J-Pod a bit slippery early, although when the Cat injured himself that helped his cause. Wasn’t able to run off and create, which he perhaps should have tried to do more.
Roger Hayden - 5
Hayden started forward but was shifted back to try to stem the bleeding. He was tough as ever but like so many of his teammates, was fighting a losing battle.
Des Headland - 2
Not a good night for Des. Played his first AFL match since round four after coming in as a late replacement for Jesse Crichton. Went off with a crook knee at one point. Did return, but maybe he shouldn’t have bothered.
Stephen Hill - 5
Had five really good minutes in the third term when Freo looked a threat. But finished with just 13 touches as the Cats didn’t give him much room. Dropped a doozie early to gift Geelong its second major.
Garrick Ibbotson - 4
Like many of his teammates, was shifted between both ends and struggled. Was mostly on Travis Varcoe, Shannon Byrnes and Mathew Stokes and found them a handful.
Michael Johnson - 6
Playing as a second ruckman and at both ends, Johnson finished with impressive numbers. But his 23 touches and 13 marks weren’t reflected in general play. Had eight rebound 50s but no inside 50s.
Chris Mayne - 4
Had Matthew Scarlett for most of the evening, so you know that’s not going to be easy. Took a good grab in the goalsquare and kick a goal, but not much else apart from that.
Luke McPharlin - 7
Made one bad blue switching the footy into the middle and gave away a free kick in front, but apart from that it was a good game from McPharlin. He took the honours against Cameron Mooney, mostly winning their one-on-ones.
Adam McPhee - 3
Ran with Joel Selwood for the majority of the night and found him too good. Let him run by too easily a minute into the game to kick a goal. The Cat finished with 33 touches, McPhee just seven.
Anthony Morabito - 4
Had a really quiet start and slowly got into it, but simply wasn’t able to use the open spaces as Mark Harvey would have hoped. Wasn’t as damaging as usual when he got the ball.
David Mundy - 7
You can see why Freo is so keen to convince this bloke to stay. He wasn’t as noticeable as the Cats’ stars, but 30 touches and five clearances were important in helping fight the midfield battle. Beat Cameron Ling.
Matthew Pavlich - 7
Along with Mundy, the skipper was his side’s best. Showed what a beautiful kick he is with four lovely goals, including his side’s first - from 53m off one step. Was the only option likely in attack.
Dylan Roberton - 5
Had a tough night running with the likes of Varcoe and Stokes. Found them too speedy but you couldn’t question his commitment.
Aaron Sandilands - 4
It was a risk to play him as he was clearly hampered. Spent half his time in the ruck and half in attack, nursing his sore knee. Was more use in the ruck but didn’t pose a threat near the sticks as he struggled to get off the ground.
Alex Silvagni - 4
Was tried at both ends of the ground without much luck. Was unable to provide a decent target in attack, and was seen in the vicinity of Paul Chapman when he booted his late goal.
Nick Suban - 4
Did okay when he was on Jimmy Bartel early, but was rarely sighted after half time as he spent his time switching between Cat midfielders and small forwards.
Michael Walters - 6
Slipped Corey Enright three times to finish with a hat-trick of goals and keep his team in the contest - sort of. A nice game from the young goalkicker, nonetheless.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
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