Despite a dominant 25-point victory over Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday night, Geelong Cats head coach Chris Scott has not shied away from calling out one of the most imbalanced free kick tallies recorded at the venue this AFL season.
The final free kick count told a striking story: Collingwood, the Cats’ opponent, was awarded 24 free kicks over the course of the match, while Geelong was called for just seven – a 17-free-kick advantage for the Magpies that left Scott confused and frustrated in his post-match press conference.
The second half saw the disparity grow even starker, with Collingwood holding a 12-2 edge in free kicks as the Magpies mounted a comeback attempt. That comeback effort came after Geelong got off to a blistering start, kicking nine of the match’s opening ten goals to build an unassailable early lead.
Scott told reporters that while the 24 free kicks awarded to Collingwood did not raise major red flags for him, the fact his side only earned seven struck him as deeply irregular. “We’ve had a few games like that this year, and if it’s like 7-12, it’s like okay it’s just put the whistle away night,” Scott explained. “I will bring up one issue that’s been confusing for everyone. When you have one umpire 12m away with a perfect view and he gets overruled, that’s strange.”
Beyond the officiating controversy, Scott addressed broader team questions heading into the closing stretch of the AFL regular season. Star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield missed Thursday’s clash with a lingering injury, and Scott clarified that the club was holding Dangerfield out of the lineup not because he was physically unable to play, but because coaching staff would not rush him back until he is fully prepared to perform at his best. “He’ll come back into the team at some stage, but we’re not going to bring him back when we think he’s not ready to play his best,” the coach said.
Scott added that even with the strong win, the 16th-year head coach believes his squad still has plenty of room to improve as they enter the latter part of the campaign. Two other key Cats stars – Max Holmes and Jeremy Cameron – remain sidelined with injury, but Scott said the club remains optimistic that both will be able to return to action before the end of the season.
The pivotal win over Collingwood has already moved Geelong up the AFL ladder, catapulting the side from ninth place to a provisional fifth spot in the standings. Geelong still has three remaining regular season games, all scheduled against teams currently ranked outside the top 12, giving the Cats a strong path to solidify their position in the top eight and qualify for the finals series.