At a single stoppage on Thursday night, Mark Blicavs would ruck from one particular of Max Gawn or Luke Jackson. At one more, the Geelong utility would change roles and turn into a ‘cooler’, subsequent both Christian Petracca or Clayton Oliver to try out and curtail the Demons stars’ influence.
Critically, which other AFL participant has the abilities to pull that off — and have the confidence to do it — in a game?
“It’s generally misused in AFL, but he‘s one of a kind,” Cats coach Chris Scott advised reporters immediately after his side’s acquire in excess of Melbourne.
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“There‘s no 1 else like him.”
Blicavs once again performed a critical, invaluable purpose in his side’s 28-stage acquire more than the Demons. He attended 19 centre bounces – the second-most of any Cat – to complete with 14 disposals – of which 84 per cent were gained in the forward 50 percent – 7 score involvements and five tackles, while three of his 16 hit-outs went to a teammate’s advantage.
At 198cm and 101kg, Blicavs is participating in a job for Geelong that no other participant in the league plays for any other club.
“I’m a bit a lot more versatile this calendar year than any other 12 months just about,” Blicavs explained to foxfooty.com.au put up-match.
“Tonight my part was just to be around the ball. That permits me to assistance the mids out and attempting to curb Petracca and Oliver’s influence as much as I can, or if I want to ruck I’d get down the line and just make a contest wherever I am.
“I’m definitely experiencing currently being a little bit further up the floor and currently being about the ball instead than just enjoying at comprehensive-again this year. Sam De Koning obtaining a great year is permitting me to do that.
“I truly feel like I’ve had a regular yr in terms of my function, which has been around the ball, transition-type participant. I assume that’ll go on in no matter what that may well be. If it’s ruck, mid or wing, I’ll be making an attempt to operate similar designs in any case.”
Petracca booted three targets, but on a night time where by Melbourne only kicked 9 for the total recreation. He also concluded with 21 disposals and two clearances – the equivalent 2nd-least expensive tallies of his time so much.
“He’s highly effective, is not he?” Blicavs stated of actively playing on Petracca.
“He’s got superior vision and he is aware when he can go forward and affect. He kicked a pair from that. You give him fifty percent a metre and he’s just absent.
“There’s matters to do the job on naturally, but it’s a good a single to be thrown the problem.”
Scott lauded Blicavs’ match against the Dees and his continual affect on the Geelong established-up.
“Whenever we‘ve played properly, he’s been a aspect, whether it’s been type of evident with the amount of ball he’s got or not, he’s usually been vital to the way we set up,” he explained.
“Mark is just a professional. He just came in with an insatiable hunger to study a recreation, to be frank, he didn‘t know substantially about – but he’s an qualified now.”
Blicavs was portion of an on-ball brigade that assisted disarm Melbourne’s star midfield team, with the Cats successful the clearance rely by +18.
Patrick Dangerfield was again to his ideal with 31 disposals and nine clearances, when Cameron Guthrie, Tom Atkins and Joel Selwood were being also critical at the coalface.
“It was hotly contested. They‘re a fantastic midfield, so we knew it was just going to be a battle with a lot of tackles, which compelled the turnovers,” Blicavs explained.
“It was a significant-stress game and it form of felt like that finals-form video game. I felt each teams were being definitely up for it and we just retained striving to plug absent, preserve undertaking what we preferred to do.
“Their midfield is astounding and they distribute actually well from that, so we had to do our greatest on the inside of to halve it, get it going our way and then unfold absent from that. And if they acquire it, we’ve received to assist our defenders out. It is a strength of theirs and we just tried out to match them in there.”
The Cats’ gain observed them leapfrog the Demons on the ladder, that means they’ll nearly undoubtedly finish Spherical 17 on leading of the AFL ladder – barring a mammoth Brisbane get more than Essendon.
Requested how significantly self confidence Geelong would just take from a important get more than the reigning premiers, Blicavs stated: “It’s amazing … The program is to do that in a last, but we’re just likely to maintain setting up and continue to keep doing work.”
