Cats take care of Demons

Geelong will continue with their one-ruckman experiment as they try to fine-tune
their line-up ahead of the AFL finals.
The most intriguing feature of Saturday's regulation 46-point win over Melbourne at
Skilled Stadium was Tom Hawkins and Harry Taylor joining Shane Mumford in the ruck.
The Cats dropped Mark Blake for this game and he will have an extended run in the
VFL as he tries to regain his confidence.
While Melbourne's Mark Jamar and Stefan Martin won the hitouts 49-25, Hawkins
especially looked promising in the 17.15 (117) to 11.5 (71) win and Thompson was
pleased with the experiment.
"The thinking behind it is we've only got one ruckman in form, what do we do?,"
Thompson said.
"Are we prepared to play one ruckman, like a lot of other clubs, to provide an extra
midfield-type player on the bench?
"It's not an experiment you do for one week, we probably have to have another look
at it, but we're pleased with what we saw today.
"The workrate thing with Shane Mumford is part of the experiment as well and if he
does get to play 70 per cent, can he play effectively ... in big games of footy?"
Thompson said Blake was struggling with constant criticism of his form.
"He's been under a lot of pressure externally in the media, by our fans," Thompson
said.
"That's sometimes pretty hard and it doesn't normally go away the instant you're not
playing.
"He's a work in progress and our plan is actually to get him back in the team,
playing the right footy - that's the long-term plan."
The Cats were never troubled once they won the toss, kicked with the aid of a
four-goal wind and had 7.4 to 0.2 by quarter-time.
They brought back Matthew Scarlett, Gary Ablett, Darren Milburn, Andrew Mackie,
Cameron Ling and Travis Varcoe for this game and all played their part.
Scarlett was nearly best afield behind Joel Selwood and Ablett had 40 disposals,
while Ling restricted Brock McLean to only seven touches.
The Cats made seven changes for last week's loss to Brisbane and captain Tom Harley
was a late withdrawal for Saturday's game with knee soreness.
Thompson said Harley, Jimmy Bartel and Steve Johnson were all chances to return for
Saturday's match against Hawthorn.
Thompson said the Cats coasted home, winning the last three quarters by a total of
only two points, while Demons coach Dean Bailey was pleased his team did not give
up.
"The first quarter, we coughed up the ball a little bit - we were still trying to
make things happen, which you've got to do against the top clubs," Bailey said.
"If you don't do it, you really set yourself up for playing a slow type of game.
"At least the boys had a crack in the first quarter, the next three quarters, we
hung in there and played some more competitive footy.
"The last two minutes (of the game) were a bit disappointing, the scoreboard will
show they kicked two goals."
Ricky Petterd and Brent Moloney were best for the Demons, while Matthew Bate and
Cale Morton kicked three goals apiece.