GEELONG superstar Patrick Dangerfield has identified the first five minutes of Friday night's preliminary final as the key to avenging last year's failure on the big stage.
The Cats flew out of Melbourne on Thursday bound for Adelaide, where Dangerfield – whether he plays up forward, goes through the midfield or both – will be pivotal against his former side.
The 2016 Brownlow medallist is embracing the chance to play in front of a pro-Crows crowd of 50,000-plus at Adelaide Oval despite knowing he will cop the brunt of opposition fans' attention.
Geelong conceded the first eight goals in its 37-point defeat to Sydney in their 2016 preliminary final, falling 55 points behind and effectively losing the contest before half-time.
But Dangerfield said neither that disappointment nor his bid to add 'premiership player' to his bulging football resume would distract him from the task at hand.
"(Wanting to win a flag) does (motivate me), but that's also getting ahead of ourselves," he told reporters.
"We have to make sure we play our brand of footy and actually win this game, so there's no point looking any further ahead than that.
"Should we be good enough, there's another game to get through, so … it's as simple as the first five minutes for us, so it's exciting.
"This is why you play. If you can't get up for this time of the year, then you shouldn't be playing the game."
Nakia Cockatoo travelled with the team, but Dangerfield did not shed any light on whether the speedster would play his first game since round 19 after his latest hamstring setback.
"I'm not sure if he's in the side," he said.
"He's an explosive player (and) he's very dangerous forward of centre, but we'll have to wait and see with selection."
Tom Lonergan (food poisoning) is already confirmed to return to bolster Geelong's defence, with James Parsons, Rhys Stanley and Zach Guthrie the players most under pressure to retain their spot.
Where Dangerfield is most effective has dominated external discussion since Chris Scott successfully started his biggest star in attack against the Swans last week.
But he will be needed just as much in the middle, where the Cats will come up against the likes of Rory Sloane – back from an appendectomy – All Australian Matt Crouch, Brad Crouch and Richard Douglas.
"It's hard to beat kicking goals, but I'll play wherever the coaches want me to play and wherever is best for the team," Dangerfield said.
"Adelaide is far more than just Rory Sloane. We understand he's a gun of the competition … (but) their success this year has been built up on more than just a few – it's been on a collective.
"For us, it's about focusing on our game and how we go about implementing our game plan for as long as possible."
