Geelong Cats v Fremantle Dockers
AFL Aussie Rules : Australia : AFL Premiership,
Venue : Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Friday, 10th September 2010, Start 19:45 AEST

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Fremantle face a massive task in coming to the G and beating the Cats in this knock-out clash but their confidence will be buoyed by their impressive win over the Hawks at the weekend.

Geelong on the other hand will be looking to make amends for their sloppy effort for much of their last game against the Saints.

The winner will meet Collingwood in the preliminary final next weekend and at this stage there appears no reason the Cats should lose.

Geelong Cats

The Cats disappointed many by showing up for only half the game last week and fell 4 points short. There is no doubt that against a weaker opponent in Melbourne will see them get back to the winners list, it is our job to try and pinpoint a margin, and with the early odds set at 1.12 for the win the line could be as large as 8 goals or even more.

The defence will be able to contain the Dockers because of their superior match ups. The Cats have Matthew Scarlett leading the way with the likes of Darren Milburn and Harry Taylor ready to back him up against the lesser known opponents. Andrew Mackie and David Wojcinski are the keys in the backline for me as their ball use and run out of defence can turn the game on its head if they are near their best.

In the centre we saw how devastating the likes of Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood and Paul Chapman could be in the second half of the last game. If they can put a similar effort together for even 3 out of the 4 quarters I think the Cats will spank the Dockers. These men ooze class and footy smarts. They do not waste the ball when entering the forward 50 and on top of that Chapman and Ablett are noted goal kickers.

Cam Mooney was the likeliest of the Geelong big men last game and it will be up to him again to lead the line. He will get his partner in crime back this week in James Podsiadly who returns from suspension. The small forwards looked lively at times and Matthew Stokes will need to combine well with Travis Varcoe once again because as is the case with Geelong the competition for positions reaches a climax on grand final day with someone needing to miss out.

Fremantle Dockers

The Dockers were the underdogs when they beat the Hawks at the weekend and will get another taste of being dogs when they travel to Melbourne. The Dockers were impressive but will need to lift another gear or two when they take on the Cats.

The Hawks were very inaccurate in the last game but the defence for Freo will still feel pretty confident. Luke McPharlin was outstanding on Franklin and his team will call on him to deliver a similar performance this week.

Support will come in the shape of Antoni Grover, Roger Hayden and the young Alex Silvagni. These 4 form the grunt in the defence and they all need a stellar night in order to be in with a sniff.

The midfield for the Dockers saw David Mundy exert his influence in an exceptional manner. He was best afield for me and things will get harder with him likely to get Ling as a tagger on the weekend. If he can break the tag he will give his side a chance to compete against a side that takes no prisoners. Expect the likes of Greg Broughton, Stephen Hill and Anthony Morabito to lead the way for the young Dockers

The forward line led by Matty Pavlich will be starved of ball on Friday night so the test will be making the most of it when it does come their way. Michael Johnson and Chris Mayne will be vital in terms of helping Pavlich and contributing to the scoreboard.

If Adam McPhee could provide another tall target I feel the Dockers could edge a bit closer but the biggest factor will be the fitness of ruckman Aaron Sandilands. He copped a bit of an injury in the last game and is no certainty to play. If he plays the Cats will find the contests tough but if he misses it could be a whitewash.

The Pick :

Cats win by 5 goals at least

HANDICAP BETTING :

Take the Geelong Cats to win and cover the -39.5 line on Centrebet at 1.92.

(Medium to High Stakes)