Just Win, or, S.O.S. Scarlo

Ok Big Leaguers, its finals time. This is what we’ve been waiting for. So how the Hell are we all feeling? I’ve had more mood swings this week than a junkie going through menopause. I’m a bundle of nerves. The home & away season was like coming out $1500 ahead after a 14 hour black-jack session and the finals is like taking those winnings and putting it all on black. I can’t watch the spin, I just want to win. Just win.

After hearing about the Matthew Egan injury, I was devastated. Gutted. He is the biggest and strongest of the Cats defenders and has taken the opposition’s best forward every week. And the Kangaroos possess a bevy of tall forwards. After weeks of selling myself on the ‘we’re good enough, we’ll do it’ theory, I was back to being terrified again.

I feel a little better about it now though, for the following reasons: a) we’ve had a blessed injury run all season, b) Jared/Max should slot straight back into the defence, c) the form of ‘Skip’ Harley, and d) our midfield should be good enough to keep it down our end as well as helping out in defence. The one player that can make the biggest difference here, however, is Matthew Scarlett.

This season, with Egan doing so well on the competition’s best forwards, the jobs Scarlo used to get, Scarlett has been used on the 3rd or even 4th forward each week. This allowed him to ‘zone off’, to leave his man to help in the air, or to run and start attacking movements. He was almost playing loose, knowing that his opponent wasn’t going to be kicked to a lot of the time. But Scarlett made his name as a defensive, nasty, scragging full-back who gave up few kicks and even less goals. That’s how he was recognised as an All-Australian. With Milburn, Mackie and now Rooke, we don’t need another rebounding back-flanker; we need our All-Australian full-back back.

The following is a break down of the Kangaroos marking forwards and their goal tally in 2007: Corey Jones 46, Drew Petrie 36, Leigh Brown 20, Aaron Edwards 17 and David Hale 14. Looking at that list, Scarlett really needs to take Petrie, a player to whom he’s giving up 5cm in height and 7kg in weight. Harley will then probably get Brown, Milburn on Edwards, Hunt might get Corey Jones, and David Hale should probably be getting splinters. That leaves Jared/Max to beat up on Shannon Grant and Andrew Mackie to roam across half-back. Of course, I’ve been wrong all year so why stop now? Either way, I think we have enough flexibility to cover it. The other issue that arose from the Port Adelaide game, and I think the Kangaroos will have noticed, was dealing with teams who flood the corridor and force us wide.

During that game, Port clogged up the middle, allowing Geelong players to run free on the wings, letting them get their kicks as long as they were out wide. Often, those free players were used coming out of defence. Often that player was Shannon Byrnes. Often the ball was turned over.

During the Brisbane game, however, The Lions were not able to do that because Geelong was winning the stoppages. This means The Cats weren’t beginning their attacks from half-back and therefore allowing the opposition time to cram the corridor, which, as we all know, is the part of the ground that The Cats love to use. It’s part of why they’ve been so successful.

So, if we can’t get on top of the clearances, if we aren’t ‘owning the corridor’, we need to be able to get the ball into scoring positions from the wings. I’d suggest firstly dropping Shannon Byrnes (which should be a formality at this stage) and making sure those players who are getting free out wide are some of our best and most creative disposers of the ball. Alternatively, get Josh Hunt out there and get him to run as far as he can and then kick it as long as he can. Simple game, really.

Let’s hope so anyway. There is much to ponder before Sunday and I will probably continue to be up and down until I take my seat at the MCG (yes, I’m going) and that wheel starts spinning.
However they do it, however it happens, just win Cats. Otherwise I may walk out of the MCG, straight through Richmond, into Crown Casino and sit down at the blackjack table, with one eye on that roulette wheel again. Just win.


*Note: Mrs Watson has just departed on an overseas trip and won’t be back until after the finals. He will be watching the Grand Final from a dive bar in New York City. I hope they serve Carlton Draught at 8am.

**Note: Big League Little League has just passed 10, 000 hits. Again, thanks to everyone for reading. Go Cats.