The depth test: How Cats, Swans' less-storied names stack up

WHEN Geelong coach Chris Scott was asked on Friday night about the importance of his lesser light players going into the Grand Final, he took the opportunity to highlight one of the Cats' great strengths in 2022.

No longer was it straight forward identifying who his team's superstars were, Scott said, and the "great depth" built at Geelong through hard work had left highly talented players outside the 22.

If Grand Finals can be decided as much by the nominal bottom six players in a team as they are the stars, then both teams should feel good about their depth going into Saturday's 2022 decider at the MCG.

"The players we don't have in our team at the moment, if you had have said that to me 12 weeks ago, I just would have flatly refused to believe you," Scott said.

"A couple of those guys I would have up in the top 10-15 players on our list.

"It's the worst part of coaching. But I was asked a question during the week about our superstars, and I was going to say, 'Who do you mean?' Because our team has changed, and it's been happening for a while."

So, who are Geelong and Sydney's 'bottom six'? And what can Scott and John Longmire realistically expect them to deliver on the biggest stage?

An unbiased starting point is to use Champion Data's AFL Player Ratings, and then consider recent performances to take into account short-term form.

The approach only highlights the Cats' depth further, with their likely bottom six in the Grand Final identified as Sam De Koning (8.4 player ratings average), Gary Rohan (8.1), Gryan Miers (7.9), Zac Guthrie (7.8), Jake Kolodjashnij (7.1) and Jed Bews (5.6).

In the preliminary final win against Brisbane, Miers and Kolodjashnij ranked No.1 and No.2 respectively for Player Ratings points and were clearly among the best handful of players on the ground.

The players ranked among the Cats' bottom six in the preliminary final included leading midfielders Cameron Guthrie and Tom Atkins, emphasising that the Cats don't always rely on their best players. 

Sydney's likely bottom six in their Grand Final 22, according to Player Ratings points, is Jake Lloyd (8.4), Robbie Fox (6.9), Dylan Stephens (6.7), Dane Rampe (6.1), Logan McDonald (5.7) and Ryan Clarke (5.4).

Again, it is a group that includes role players who have delivered during the finals, particularly shutdown specialist Clarke, and experienced players who are no longer relied on to the extent they once were.

The bottom six in the Swans' preliminary final win against Collingwood included star forward Isaac Heeney and important intercept defender Paddy McCartin.

Collectively, the Swans' bottom six from their preliminary final team averages 6.5 Player Ratings points, while Cats' averages 7.5.

As Scott hinted at, sorting players in any order can be flawed, and roles and team balance will be critical on Saturday.

But Grand Finals tend to highlight the importance of depth and getting a return from all in the 22.

You only need to go back 12 months for the perfect example when premiers Melbourne contributed just three of the bottom 15 ranked players in the 2021 decider at Optus Stadium.

Geelong player ratings

Sydney player ratings