Saints' success has sharpened Cats' focus


Wed 23rd of September 2009


Source: The Age

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says St Kilda's dominant season and last year's grand final loss have ensured the Cats will go into this Saturday's premiership decider mentally sharp.

Thompson admits they might not have been as well prepared mentally ahead of last year's shock grand final loss to Hawthorn.

"It's been a good year for us as far as preparation," Thompson said on Tuesday.

"The previous two years we've just been expected to win.

"I think now St Kilda were the best team all year and we've had injuries, we've lost games and we've struggled in so many areas. In some ways it's been a real challenge to get to where we are right now."

The fact that we lost last year's grand final, they're all good things that are just keeping us really respectful and that was probably a little bit different to what it was last year."

Thompson said the Cats' round 14 loss to the Saints was the best contest his side had faced in recent seasons.

"It was probably the best game of football we've been involved in in five, six or seven years, it was a cracker of a game," he said.

"It's great that the two best teams of 2009 are the last two teams in it, it makes for a great game.

"He said the Cats had since kept a very close eye on the Saints and both clubs would know each other's game style very well.

Meanwhile, Thompson said he was still undecided on the make-up of Geelong's team, with Mathew Stokes now fully fit after missing the preliminary final through injury.

"Mathew Stokes does deserve to play, not that he's guaranteed to play, but if he does happen to come in, the guy who goes out probably deserves to play too," he said.

"It's a tough situation, but we just have a responsibility to put the best team on the park that's going to beat St Kilda on Saturday.

"That's our responsibility, so we might have to make a hard decision."He joked that it would make his life easier if someone got injured at training.

"We might have to come up with a drill that maybe injures someone, that's what we used to do in the '80s when I was playing at the Bombers," Thompson said.