TonyK
CibbuanoCats get valuable test
May 23rd 2009 01:12
GEELONG coach Mark Thompson says his side got the test it needed in the thrilling victory over the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
The Cats held on for a two-point win after Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson’s shot after the siren narrowly missed.
Thompson admitted he didn't care whether his side won and said it was invaluable to play in close matches because it placed pressure on the players and the coaches.
"If you play in a close game it's always a good thing. Sometimes you lose them, sometimes you win them," Thompson said.
"(It's) just that moment that you're living in that last quarter when everything that you do is so important, those matches you remember for a while. They're pretty significant."
"It exposes you to the pressures that you need to be exposed to. I don't think that you need to do it every week because it's a pretty difficult job but every now and then it's great."
The win was soured somewhat for the Cats with Paul Chapman and Ryan Gamble suffering injuries but Geelong's football manager Neil Balme said the injuries weren't as bad as they looked.
Chapman will require surgery to mend a compound dislocation to a finger but could still play against Essendon next weekend while Gamble was taken to Epworth Hospital with concussion after landing on his head in the second quarter from a marking contest with Bulldogs defender Dale Morris.
Meanwhile, Thompson singled out forward Cameron Mooney who missed the match after earning a one-game suspension for striking North Melbourne's Scott Thompson.
“I would have done something really brave if we’d have lost the game. Maybe I should do it anyway, I should really have a go at Cameron Mooney because we did miss him enormously,” he said.
“To go out with a silly thing like that, it could have cost the club. Lucky it wasn’t a knockout final but if it was, it would be disastrous because he’s so important to us.”
The Cats held on for a two-point win after Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson’s shot after the siren narrowly missed.
Thompson admitted he didn't care whether his side won and said it was invaluable to play in close matches because it placed pressure on the players and the coaches.
"If you play in a close game it's always a good thing. Sometimes you lose them, sometimes you win them," Thompson said.
"(It's) just that moment that you're living in that last quarter when everything that you do is so important, those matches you remember for a while. They're pretty significant."
"It exposes you to the pressures that you need to be exposed to. I don't think that you need to do it every week because it's a pretty difficult job but every now and then it's great."
The win was soured somewhat for the Cats with Paul Chapman and Ryan Gamble suffering injuries but Geelong's football manager Neil Balme said the injuries weren't as bad as they looked.
Chapman will require surgery to mend a compound dislocation to a finger but could still play against Essendon next weekend while Gamble was taken to Epworth Hospital with concussion after landing on his head in the second quarter from a marking contest with Bulldogs defender Dale Morris.
Meanwhile, Thompson singled out forward Cameron Mooney who missed the match after earning a one-game suspension for striking North Melbourne's Scott Thompson.
“I would have done something really brave if we’d have lost the game. Maybe I should do it anyway, I should really have a go at Cameron Mooney because we did miss him enormously,” he said.
“To go out with a silly thing like that, it could have cost the club. Lucky it wasn’t a knockout final but if it was, it would be disastrous because he’s so important to us.”
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